Rwandan genocide suspect deported by US to face trial in Rwanda

Jean Leonard Teganya, a Rwandan man accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, has been deported from the United States to Rwanda, PBS NewsHour reported. He arrived in Kigali on November 9, 2026, and is set to face trial for genocide and crimes against humanity, according to local prosecutors.

Rwandan authorities indicted Teganya in 2014 for his alleged role in genocidal acts in the Huye district, including crimes committed at a university campus and medical school. He is currently being interrogated by police before prosecutors receive his case file, a spokesperson said.

Teganya fled Rwanda in July 1994 and later sought asylum in Canada, where his application was rejected. After evading a Canadian deportation order, he crossed into the US in 2014 and applied for asylum. US prosecutors convicted him in 2019 of immigration fraud and perjury related to his asylum claim.

The National Public Prosecution Authority of Rwanda confirmed Teganya's arrival and handover to prosecutors. He was a medical student at the National University of Rwanda and was accused of helping identify Tutsi civilians who were later killed during the genocide, Al Jazeera reported.

One genocide survivor expressed support for Teganya being sent back to Rwanda to face justice, according to PBS NewsHour. The case highlights ongoing efforts to hold suspects accountable for the 1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed.