Dafroza Gauthier, genocide justice activist, dies at 72

Dafroza Mukarumongi Gauthier, a Franco-Rwandan activist and chemical engineer, has died at the age of 72 following an illness. She is recognized for her decades-long commitment to seeking justice for victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In 2001, alongside her husband Alain Gauthier, she co-founded the Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda. The organization worked to collect survivor testimonies and investigate crime sites to facilitate legal proceedings in France. Her efforts were instrumental in bringing genocide suspects to trial in French courts, including the 2014 trial of Pascal Simbikangwa. By the 30th anniversary of the genocide, approximately a dozen men had been convicted in France for their roles in the killings.

Having lost nearly 80 family members during the genocide, including her mother, Gauthier dedicated her life to accountability and historical preservation. In 2017, Rwandan President Paul Kagame awarded her and her husband the Igihango order for their work in linking Rwanda and France through the pursuit of justice.