Wenceslas Twagirayezu, a Danish citizen, has been placed in custody in Denmark following his arrival from Rwanda on Thursday evening. Earlier this year, Twagirayezu was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an appeals court in Rwanda for his involvement in the 1994 genocide. He arrived in Denmark under the supervision of authorities and appeared on Friday in a preliminary hearing at the Hillerød Court (Retten i Hillerød).

Dressed in a black shirt with gold details, a smiling Twagirayezu waved to his relatives before the judge decided to keep him in custody for four weeks. This decision was based on the seriousness of the charges against him, even though there was no immediate danger of him attempting to flee from justice. The judge also noted that Twagirayezu has strong ties to Denmark, where his wife and four children reside.

During the preliminary hearing, the prosecution insisted that Twagirayezu should remain in custody until an appropriate sentence could be determined in Denmark. Prosecutor Thomas Østergaard particularly argued that it would undermine the justice system if a person convicted of genocide were free between the verdict and sentencing.

However, defense attorney Eddie Khawaja has expressed his intention to appeal the decision. He raised concerns about the basis of the conviction in Rwanda, stating that Twagirayezu claims to have been mistaken for someone else. Khawaja pointed out the numerous complications surrounding Twagirayezu’s legal situation in Rwanda and questioned the validity of the conviction.

The case is rooted in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, during which over 800,000 people were killed. This makes the allegations particularly serious and complicates the legal process. Twagirayezu has consistently maintained his innocence and has previously sought to halt his extradition from Denmark to Rwanda through the Danish courts. The Rwandan authorities specifically accuse him of having played a role in the killings of at least 2,000 individuals.