BOSTON — A man from Uniontown, Ohio, has been arrested and accused of hiding his alleged involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, an event that resulted in 800,000 deaths, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.

Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, also known as Eric Tabaro Nshimiyimana, was arrested Thursday morning in Ohio. He appeared in federal court at the Northern District of Ohio and will eventually appear in federal court in Boston.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in the release that Nshimiye, 52, allegedly concealed his involvement in the Rwandan genocide for almost 30 years, seeking refuge in the United States during that time.  

“Our refuge and asylum laws exist to protect true victims of persecution — not the perpetrators. The United States will not be a safe haven for suspected human rights violators and war criminals,” Levy said in the release. “Our office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to locating and prosecuting those who commit human rights violations abroad and then evade our immigration laws. We will not cease in our pursuit of identifying and bringing to justice those individuals who have participated in unthinkable war crimes and human rights abuses.”

Nshimiye is also charged with obstruction of justice and perjury related to testimony he gave in the 2019 trial of his former classmate, Jean Leonard Teganya, who was convicted as a perpetrator during the Rwandan genocide.

“The defendant allegedly participated in the killing of Tutsi men, women and children by striking them on the head with a nail-studded club and then hacking them to death with a machete,” the release reads.

Nshimiye is also alleged to have “both participated in and aided and abetted the rape of numerous Tutsi women during the genocide.”

The release states charging documents show Nshimiye was a student at the University of Rwanda’s Butare campus during the early 90s.

“At that time, the country had significant ethnic division: about 85% of its population were Hutus, and about 14% were Tutsis,” the release reads. “Both Nshimiye and Teganya were well-known student members of the MRND political party, the ruling Hutu-dominated party that incited the genocide, and the Interahamwe, the notoriously violent youth wing of that movement.”

The release continues to describe the events that led to the massacre. The Hutu president’s plane was shot down in spring 1994, and over 100 days, 800,000 Tutsis—men, women and children—were killed.

Michael Krol, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in New England, said Nshimiye is accused of hiding his involvement in one of the world’s worst human tragedies. He notes that charging documents include specific allegations of the defendant’s actions 30 years ago.

He also said it is alleged that Nshimiye’s prior testimony in defense of Teganya was just a “calculated attempt” to distance himself from his involvement in the massacre.

“Homeland Security Investigations and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center agents spend years investigating cases of alleged human rights violators and war criminals, interviewing survivors, and working alongside historians, in an effort to uncover the true history of perpetrators and hold them accountable for their actions,” Krol said. “We are tireless in our pursuit of those who seek to use the United States as a haven from justice.”

The release said Nshimiye fled Rwanda in 1994, heading to Kenya. He then allegedly lied to officials at immigration and entered the U.S. with refugee status.

After emigrating to Ohio, the release added he secured permanent residence and eventually citizenship. It says he has lived and worked in Ohio since 1995.

According to the release,in 2019, during testimony at Teganya’s trial, Nshimiye said neither of the two took part in the 1994 genocide. It also said the complaint alleges Nshimiye “assisted Teganya in obstructing justice at Teganya’s trial and falsely testifying about Teganya’s involvement in the MRND” as well as perjuring himself by denying MRND and Interahamwe membership.

It is also alleged that Nshimiye lied to federal agents during recent interviews related to his time before entering the U.S. and his citizenship documents.

The charges Nshimiye faces, and their potential punishments, are:

• Falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact by trick, scheme or device: Up to five years in prison, three years supervised release and up to $250,000 in fines
• Obstruction of justice: Up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and up to $250,000 in fines
• Perjury: Up to five years in prison, three years supervised release and up to $250,000 in fines.

“The details contained in the complaint are allegations,” the release concludes. “The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”

The attorney representing Nshimiye could not be reached for comment by time of publication.