The trial of Philippe Hategekimana, naturalized French in 2005 under the name of Philippe Manier, opened Wednesday in Paris for “genocide, crimes against humanity and participation in an agreement” for the preparation of these crimes.

“My name is Philippe Manie r,” said the accused in a clear voice when the president of the assize court, Jean-Marc Lavergne, asked him to state his identity.

Philippe Manier, 66, bald and wearing tortoiseshell glasses, dressed in a suede jacket over a checkered shirt, was a chief warrant officer at the gendarmerie in Nyanza, in the prefecture of Butare, in southern Rwanda.

He is suspected of the murders of dozens of Tutsi, including the burgomaster of Ntyazo, Narcisse Nyagasaka, who was resisting the execution of the genocide in his commune.