[JURIST] A French appeals court in Paris approved the extradition of Claude Muhayimana and Innocent Musabyimana on Wednesday, two suspects wanted in connection with the 1994 Rwandan genocide [UN backgrounder]. Muhayimana, a French citizen since 2010, is accused [Expatica report] of participating in the massacre of ethnic Tutsis in the town of Kibuye, while Musabyimana’s alleged crimes took place in Gisenyi, a Rwandan province along the Congolese border. France has previously extradited individuals [Al Jazeera report] charged for participating in the Rwandan genocide to face charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda [official website] in Tanzania but has not yet extradited anyone to Rwanda itself to stand trial. France has never allowed a French national to be extradited. However, the current extradition cases can still be challenged before France’s high court for a final ruling.

In March 2012 a French court in the town of Rouen decided [JURIST report] that Claude Muhayimana can be sent to Rwanda to face charges concerning his involvement in the 1994 genocide. An international arrest warrant for Muhayimana was issued in December after he was accused of participating in killings and other crimes against humanity. Earlier this month, alleged Rwandan genocide perpetrator Emmanuel Mbarushimana challenged [JURIST report] a decision by Denmark’s Supreme Court to extradite him to Rwanda, filing an application with the European Court of Human Rights.