Judge Denies Bid For New Trial In Rwanda Genocide Case

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A woman serving a 10-year sentence in federal prison for lying about her role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide to obtain U.S. citizenship has lost her latest bid for a new trial.

Beatrice Munyenyezi (moon-yehn-YEH'-zee) was convicted and sentenced in 2013 in New Hampshire. She's serving a 10-year sentence in Alabama and faces deportation afterward.

Munyenyezi alleged that the jury was given inaccurate instructions on her criminal liability, citing a 2017 U.S. Supreme Court opinion. A judge denied her request, saying that even if the instruction fell short, the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

Munyenyezi was convicted of lying about her role as a commander of one of the notorious roadblocks where Tutsis were singled out for slaughter. She denied affiliation with any political party, despite her husband's leadership role in the extremist Hutu militia party.

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