Guide Note

Catholic priest Athanase Serombawar was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life in prison in 2006 for his role in the deaths of 1,500 Tutsi Rwandans.

Serombwar reportedly led a militia during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. In one incident, his soldiers set fire to a church that contained an estimated 1,500 Tutsi citizens. After discovering that some of the people had survived the fire, he reportedly ordered it to be bulldozed to ensure they were all killed.

He appealed his conviction to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. They denied his appeal and increased his original sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Fast Facts

1. Location of church: Nyange Parish, Rwanda
2. Many Rwandans have turned away from Catholicism in response to the church's complicity with the genocide
3. Several of Serombwar's followers, including nuns and priests have also been implicated in the incident