PARIS
The first trial over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which left 800,000 people dead, opened Wednesday in the French capital.
Pascal Simbikangwa, a former Army captain and intelligence chief, claimed on the second day of the hearing that his role in the genocide of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994 was insignificant, France's BFM TV reported.
Simbikangwa said that he was not involved in the decision making process adding that he was just a public officer who was forced to obey the rules.
He has been under arrest in France since 2008 and could face a life sentence if convicted for complicity in genocide and war crimes. He is accused of inciting and organizing a 100-day killing spree from April to July 1994.
The trial, which is expected to last for at least six weeks, has received widespread media attention in France and Rwanda.
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