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In a series of comments generated by M. Christopher Vourlias’s article ‘How Free Is Free’ (http://postcardjunky.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/how-free-is-free/), Christopher Vourlias, alias “postcardjunky”, writes about the Rwandan political opponent Victoire Ingabire:

�Ingabire herself has repeatedly refused to answer questions related to the bankrolling of her campaign��.

‘Nzi Nink’ replies:

Did Kagame ever disclosed who is bankrolling his campaign? Why should Mrs. Ingabire be forced to so? Why don�t you ask the same question to Kagame who is using state money to finance his campaign and is getting rich from the resources of the Congo according to the UN report?

‘Nzi Nink’ comment – http://postcardjunky.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/how-free-is-free/#comment-147.

The Chair of yet-to-be-registered Rwandan opposition party UDF Inkingi (FDU-Inkingi), Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, deplores the fact that the Kagame administration has delayed the UDF Inkingi Constitutional Congress for the second time. Here is the press release published today March 12, 2010 by UDF Inkingi:

POLITICAL IMPASSE: KAGAME ADMINISTRATION DERAILS OPPOSITION CONSTITUTIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE SECOND TIME.

We are sorry to inform Rwandans and friends of Rwanda that our Constitutional Congress scheduled in Kigali on 12 March 2010 is for the second time torpedoed by President Kagame administration. We express our deepest apologies to hundreds of delegates who travelled from all over the country for all the inconvenience and the humiliations endured.

This is an unacceptable political impasse imposed by the regime to the Rwandan population. On top of other documented threats and political harassments, the regime is confirming its resolve to seal off the political space. Under visible pressure the municipal administration failed to allow the congress that was supposed to convene on 26th February 2010.

In violation of article 5 of the Organic law n� 19/2007 of 04/05/2007 modifying and complementing organic law n� 16/2003 of 27/06/2003 governing political organizations and politicians the Mayor of Nyarugenge (Kigali) ordered, in a letter dated 05th March 2010 that the meeting will be authorized only if the National police confirm that it will carry out its duty to ensure security of the meeting.
In a chicken or the egg dilemma, the police informed us officially in a letter dated 10th March that it�s not their business to authorise political meetings and therefore can�t discuss security details as long as there is no licence to convene issued by relevant administration.
The municipal administration pretends to be under confusing instructions from the Ministry of Local Government, referring to a non existing law transferring the licensing of political meetings to the national police or other security services. Stated thus, the problem seems trivial.

The government should understand that peaceful political activities and opposition parties are not a threat to national security.
There is no state of emergency backing plans to put political and civil rights under the police or security apparatus diktat.
Obviously the regime is buying time to shy away from any serious competition.
All those deceiving manoeuvres endanger the credibility of the looming presidential election and consequently the legitimacy of the results. The country will slide deeper into a volatile transition.

This is happening in a background of an unpredictable security situation with the arrest of an opposition political figure, Deogratias Mushayidi,; arrests or exile of some senior military officers; explosion of grenades in the Capital city; night military road blocks; serious threats against international Human Rights observers.

Taking into account the obvious lack of goodwill from the government to open the shrinking political space;

Disappointed by a lack of pressure from the main partners of Rwanda and the international community on the political impasse and the deterioration of the security situation 4 months before the 2010 controversial presidential election;

Determined to pursue our non-violent struggle for democracy in our country,

The UDF INKINGI has decided to appoint a provisional executive committee as follows:

* Ms. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, Chair
* Mr. Boniface Twagirimana, Vice President
* Mr. Sylvain Sibomana, Secretary General
* Ms. Alice Uwera, Treasurer
* Ms. Madeleine Mukamana, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender
* Mr. Pascal Ntirenganya, Economic Affairs
* Mr. Gratien Nsabiyaremye, Youth and Community Development

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
Chair
UDF INKINGI

Ingabire is a breath of fresh air in the oppressive, repressive dictatorship in Kigali. Why is Kagame and his friends afraid of JUSTICE that she seeks? They instead chose to twist her demand for justice as revisionism.

You can always count on Kagame, and Rwandan government to have apologists by the dozens. They do a good job of:

1. Justifying GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE by pointing to economic development. None of these apologists can articulate how economic prosperity justifies murdering human beings by the millions!

2. They do a good job of justifying the invasion of Congo. They justify over 5 000 000 innocent people by pointing to Hutu Militias operating in eastern Congo. Rwanda invaded Congo and fought Uganda in Congo TWICE. When did Ugandans become Hutu extremists? Five million people killed in Congo, how come they don’t go after the genocidaires and instead go after the Congolese.

3. They do a good job of ignoring that since the invasion of Rwanda in 1990 by Kagame and his RPF, over 300 000 people had been killed by the RPF in 1994 and a million people had been internally displaced. They talk about reprisal killings but IGNORE the Hutu Twa’s and Tutsis killed by the RPF prior to the Genocide.

4. Kagame’s apologists do a good job of minimizing the Genocide of FIVE MILLION Congolese mostly babies but are quick to highlight the Rwandan genocide. Is a Tutsi life more important than a Congolese life?

5. They are extremely good at using the genocide as a political tool to oppress Rwandans and torture Congolese. They believe in gacaca courts that convict people for not providing the “right” testimony but release confessed killers to live with their victims.

6. They use the genocide to silence all political opponents.

7. They blame the Belgians for bringing ethnicity to Rwanda. Those who claim the MYTH that the Belgians brought ethnicity or created ethnic divide in Rwanda are people who cannot tell the difference between a Tutsi and a Camel.

by Kpete – http://www.theglobeandmail.com/community/?userid=60554107&plckUserId=60554107.

In an exchange of views between Geoffrey York and Christopher Vourlias about the Rwandan political opponent Victoire Ingabire, Christopher Vourlias, alias “postcardjunky”, writes:

�The UN�s damning report on mineral and weapons trafficking in the Congo last year directly linked Ingabire�s UDF-INKINGI party to FDLR elements��

Geoffrey York has answered this question (see article Is Victoire Ingabire �the poster child� for the Western Press?).

Here follows another comment posted by ‘Nzi Nink’ comments on this issue on M. Vourlias website:

These malicious fabrications and lies reveal nothing else but the interference of the Rwandan regime in fuelling rumours to the above experts? panel.

Indeed, in conivence with Africa Rights (a Human Rights Organization based in London) the Rwandan Government managed to insert in one of the annexes of the above UN Report a statement that some UDF-Inkingi members are in contact with FDLR military leadership.

Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza has never been in the military. She can�t even fire a toy gun but surely fires very well principles of democracy with her speech.

She repeatedly has denied having any ties with the FDLR. She even sent an open letter to the UN Secretary General H.E. Ban Ki-Moon to protest the above statement and no one, including �postcardjunky�, has undisputable proof that she does, other than hear-says and innuendos.

‘Nzi Nink’ comment – http://postcardjunky.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/how-free-is-free/#comment-147.