Rwanda: The World Gets Smaller for Rwandan Fugitives
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Focus Media (Kigali)
EDITORIAL
15 June 2008
Posted to the web 16 June 2008
The City of Westminster Magistrates' Court backed a request by the Government of Rwanda for the extradition of four men accused of committing genocide here.
Three of the men Celestin Ugirashebuja (who was arrested in Essex), Charles Munyaneza (in Bedford) and Emmanuel Nteziryayo (Manchester) were bourgmestres, or mayors, in Southern Province at the time of the Genocide. The other suspect, Vincent Bajinya who was arrested in northern London was a medical doctor.
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These men have been fighting the extradition request since December 2006. Some of them, before arrest, had changed their names. Bajinya changed his names to Vincent Brown, while Nteziryayo lied to British immigration officials that he was called Ndikumana and that he was a Burundian refugee.
This couldn't help them. The world is growing smaller for Rwandan fugitive mass murderers. This year alone, three top genocide suspects have been arrested in a couple of European countries: Germany and, surprisingly, France.
German authorities arrested Onesphore Rwabukombe - a former mayor of what used to be the Muvumba commune - on charges of inciting mass murder of Tutsis in 1990. This followed an international arrest warrant issued by Rwanda for the man.
In France, fugitives Marcel Bivugabagabo, a high-ranking military officer in Habyarimana's military and former businessman Claver Kamana were arrested. Their international connections could not help them any longer.
One can hope it won't be long before the long arm of the law catches up with the biggest fugitive of them all still at large, Felicien Kabuga, and others still bent on perpetrating genocide, people like Ignace Murwanashyaka the leader of FDLR.
These people have their helpers one of whom is Paul Rusesabagina who has been lionized by Hollywood as a hero who saved hundreds when he never did such a thing.
During their trial, lawyers for the four fugitives enlisted Mr Rusesabagina as a principal "expert witness".
But more people in the world are finding out that Mr Rusesabagina is a man with a bitter hatred for the Rwandan administration and they have began to see through the vitriolic falsehoods he has been spreading about it (the government).
Mr Rusesabagina tried to convince the British court that the Rwandan judiciary is incompetent, and that it lacks "the independence" to try the four fugitives. But Judge Anthony Evans (of the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court) would have none of it.
"He describes himself as a humanitarian," the judge said. "I do not accept that this witness may be regarded as an expert witness. He possesses no qualifications to this end and his only publication appears to be his autobiography."
The judge questioned Rusesabagina's motivation saying he clearly is a strong opponent of the Rwandan administration who has even gone as far as suggesting that it was responsible for the genocide, and making other "wild and exaggerated claims."
Judge Evans was clear that in his opinion other than the logistical and practical difficulties of bringing witnesses, both prosecution and defense from Rwanda, the correct course of action is to have the trials take place in Rwanda.
While the judge is spot on, international organizations like Amnesty International would have the world believe that all we have in this country is kangaroo courts that sentence each suspect to death.
As everyone who has been paying attention knows, Rwanda has banned the death penalty and, as Judge Evans noted, the acquittal rate for genocide suspects is running at over 21 percent.
"This is indicative not only of the availability of witnesses, but also of the independence of the courts," he stated in his ruling.
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We can only hope that other countries that might be harboring suspected Rwandan perpetrators of genocide follow the example of Britain and arrest and extradite them to face justice in this country.
We can only hope that no less an organization than the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda hands over most, if not all, of the suspects it detains to face trial here. Maybe that is too much to hope for.
Still, today more than at any other time in the last fourteen years, more people who lost their entire families; more who suffered rape and other forms of horrific physical abuse; more who suffer trauma can hope the day may come when they will see the authors of their torment stand before a court of law, in this country.
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Jean-Louis Kayitenkore
Procurement Consultant
Gsm: +250-08470205
Home: +250-55104140
P.O. Box 3867
Kigali-Rwanda
East Africa
Blog: http://www.cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID : Kayisa66
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