U.S. Deports Genocide Suspect Jean Leonard Teganya to Rwanda

The United States deported Jean Leonard Teganya to Rwanda on November 9, 2026, to face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. Teganya, a former medical student and intern at the University Hospital of Butare, is accused of leading soldiers and pro-government youth through the hospital to locate and kill Tutsi patients and refugees during the 1994 genocide. He is implicated in the murders of seven Tutsis and the rape of two Tutsi women.

Teganya fled Rwanda in 1994 and spent time in India and Canada. He entered the U.S. on foot in 2014 to evade a Canadian deportation order. In 2019, a U.S. federal jury convicted him of immigration fraud and perjury for lying about his involvement in the genocide and his ties to the Hutu-dominated MRND party and Interahamwe militia to secure asylum.

After serving a 97-month prison sentence, Teganya was handed over to the National Public Prosecution Authority of Rwanda. His deportation follows the October 2026 conviction of Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, another Rwandan national convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice related to Teganya's trial. Rwandan authorities confirmed Teganya's arrival in Kigali, where he is currently being interrogated by police.