Kigali – Police detectives on Sunday arrested an opposition politician from the offices of a local FM station, but RNA can reveal that the officers who picked up Pasteur Noel Hakizimfura were acting on the orders of a lone-officer Theogene Karekezi.

Pasteur Hakizimfura was cleared of all charges of links to the failed arson attack on his boss Christine Mukabunane by a court on Friday. However, on Sunday afternoon, about six uniformed and plain-clothed officers rounded him up after he had spoken on Contact FM.

It emerged Monday that Mr. Hakizimfura was immediately released following intervention from Police Headquarters. Sources have told RNA that Mr. Hakizimfura has a personal grudge with Police Inspector Theogene Karekezi who is attached to Gikondo, a Kigali suburb.

The troubles between the two stem from the time of the break up of the PS Imberakuri party in March, say sources. Inspector Karekezi apparently wanted to exert control on the Mukabonane splinter faction of the party, but was rubbished by Mr. Hakizimfura personally.

It has also emerged that on Monday, the angry Mr. Hakizimfura was invited by top police detective Tony Kuramba for a meeting. Chief Superintendent of Police Kuramba reportedly expressed regrets on behalf of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

�Kuramba appologised to [Pasteur Noel Hakizimfura] for the incident saying that the officer had acted without the knowledge of the Police leadership,� the source authorized by Hakizimfura to speak to RNA, said.

Police spokesman Eric Kayiranga said the Force was investigating the incident but declined to give details.

[ARI-RNA]

Kigali – Defense attorneys Peter Robinson and Patrick Nimy Mayidika Ngimbi are risking jail and fines of US$10,000 each after being charged with contempt of court at the International Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), RNA can reveal.

Trial Chamber III judge Dennis Byron on Tuesday afternoon ruled that American Robinson and Belgian Nimy start preparing for their defense in proceedings which starts June 21. Incidentally, British Judge Byron is the President of the ICTR.

Trouble for the two defense attorneys started Monday when they refused to continue with their case unless the UN court condemns and acts on the prosecution by Rwanda of their colleague Peter Erlinder.

The bitter defense lawyers are representing Joseph Nzirorera – Ex-Secretary General of MRND, former Rwandan ruling party. Both Robinson Nimy are defending Nzirorera. The

The former official is charged along with the MRND party President Mathieu Ngirumpatse and his Vice-President Edouard Karemera.

Three lead Counsels in these cases – Peter Robinson, Dior Diagne Mbaye and Fr�d�ric Weyl told court Monday that they could not continue with their work amid threats from Rwanda. The fact that Erlinder is being prosecuted, according to the attorneys, means all defense attorneys could be targeted.

Heated exchanges ensued between the three attorneys on these cases and the trial Judge Dennis Byron, after he dismissed their concerns and ordered them to continue with their work or they are punished.

Peter Robinson, the most vocal among the attorneys, refused to accept the Judge�s ruling to continue with examining a defense witness named Janvier Busogi who had been brought in from the United States.

In the Tuesday proceedings, when ordered to start cross-examining the witness, Robinson again defied the Judge. At this point, the furious Judge Byron decided to charge the two defense attorneys for Nzirorera on contempt of court.

�Mr. Robinson, it�s quite clear that you are not obeying our directives. And I think the Chamber does have a reason to believe that you may be in contempt of the Tribunal under rule 77 for directly disobeying a court order and refusing to conduct the examination of witness Janvier Busogi, who has travelled from the United States to testify in Arusha after the Tribunal overcame many expensive logistical and administrative obstacles,� said the judge.

�The Chamber�orders that Mr. Robinson and Mr. Nimy appear in court on Monday June 21st,� said Judge Byron.

If convicted, the two attorneys each risk jail terms of up to five years or a fine of US$10,000 or both.

Judge Byron had in the morning issued a warning to Peter Robinson under Rule 46(A) and ordered that he be reported to his Bar Association in the United States for obstructing the proceedings.

[ARI-RNA]

Rwandan court has denied bail to the U.S. lawyer Peter Erlinder arrested on 28th May on charges of genocide denial and threatening state security. Peter Erlinder, the first foreigner accused under Rwanda’s 2008 genocide ideology law, pleaded not guilty at a hearing on Friday 4th June.

This video is a recap of how the world has been making a murderer like Kagame a hero, forgetting that more than 7 million people’s blood is on his head plus plundering of DRC resources.
It is a shame that people we look up for spiritual like Pr. Rick Warren are part of this scheme of prasing a murderer who invaded an independent nation causing a retaliation which saw innocent people losing their lives…

Professor Erlinder�s evidence, the Rwanda Documents Project, gathered during his years of work as a defender at the ICTR, is the basis of his argument that the received history of the Rwanda Genocide is history written by the victors.
Listen to what Prof. Peter Erlinder said about that at the Second International Defense Lawyer�s Conference in Brussels, just before flying to Kigali to defend Ingabire.

Peter Erlinder speaking on 22 May 2010 in Brussels from ICTR Legacy.

Police escorted Erlinder back into custody

Kigali: Peter Erlinder, the American lawyer arrested in Rwanda on Genocide denial charges, was handcuffed by police as the judge remanded him to 30 days of detention to allow for continued investigations and subsequent trial.

The accused has five days to appeal the decision but his client, presidential hopeful Victoire Ingabire, may enlist the services of somebody else.

Ingabire had hired Erlinder to defend her against Rwanda’s criminal charges of Genocide ideology, minimizing the Genocide, divisionism, and collaboration with a terrorist group. Erlinder is lead defence counsel at the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR), and in April he filed suit in America’s state of Oklahoma against President Paul Kagame for allegedly shooting down President Habyarimana’s plane, igniting Rwanda’s genocide.

Erlinder arrived in Kigali on May 24 and was arrested by Rwandan police on May 28, charged with genocide denial.

�On our part, we thought on medical grounds at least he would be released, at least on some conditions,� said Kenyan defence lawyer Gershom Otachi.

Ten days of arrest have proved detrimental to Erlinder’s physical well-being. He visited hospital twice, first because of high blood pressure and second for what police say was a suicide attempt. In court on Friday, Erlinder’s lawyers asked for him to be released so he could get adequate treatment.

Judge Maurice Mbishibishi, who is also handling Ingabire’s case, took the weekend to deliberate and gave the verdict Monday during sunset at Gasabo Intermediate Court, surrounded by maize fields 25 kilometres outside of Kigali. Mbishibishi sided with the prosecution, which had asked for Erlinder to remain detained.

The judge said that Erlinder’s lawyers have not shown a link between his sickness and being in detention, their main argument for bail.

Gaunt and unshaved, Erlinder received the news with his hand over his eyes. Police came, handcuffed him, and escorted him back to a cell.

Erlinder was represented by four lawyers including American Kurt Kerns, two Kenyans and a Rwandan. In addition, the Rwanda Bar had lined up five lawyers to advise the defense team.

�We’ll try to appeal, maybe,� lawyer Otachi said. �At this stage, I really cannot tell.�

Outspoken opposition critic Victoire Ingabire, whom Erlinder hasn’t had the chance to defend since arriving, was not surprised.

�The justice in Rwanda is not independent,� she said. �I am really worrying if the U.S. government will not do anything, that Peter (Erlinder) can stay in jail in Rwanda. But he’s innocent and everybody knows that he’s innocent.�

These sentiments also describe how Ingabire feels about her own charges. She’s stalled waiting for Erlinder to represent her, but that may not last.

�I am thinking to take another lawyer,� she said. �I will see who can take the place of Peter. But first I would like to see what will happen to Peter.�

The American’s lawyers say they are going to appeal the bail decision in Rwanda’s High Court.

[ARI-RNA]

Kigali – Genocide ideology laws are not about politics or symbolism, and revisionists and ideologues who traffic in genocide denial will be prosecuted and imprisoned, according to Rwandan government spokesperson, Louise Mushikiwabo.

Mrs. Mushikiwabo, who is also Rwanda�s Foreign Minister, made these comments after a Kigali judge denied bail to Peter Erlinder, an American academic and lawyer who has been charged after more than a decade of promulgating radical revisionist theories about the 1994 genocide.

�There has been a lot of theatrics surrounding this case � not least from the defendant himself — but the fundamental issue at stake is whether Rwandans believe it is permissible for genocide defenders and deniers to threaten the hard-won stability and harmony they have built in the 16 years since the death of one million of their families, friends and neighbors,� Mrs. Mushikiwabo said.

�The Rwandan people overwhelmingly answer ‘no’ to Erlinder’s actions. In our democracy, the right of Mr. Erlinder and his co-conspirators to peddle lies and conspiracy does not supersede our right to heal and prosper as a people.

�The prosecution of Peter Erlinder is not a political tactic; it is an act of justice. If critics disagree with the Rwandan laws against the denial or defense of genocide, we invite and welcome that debate. What we reject is the politicization of the matter, when nothing strikes Rwandans as less political and more deeply personal than lies and distortions about our tragic and traumatic past,� Mrs. Mushikiwabo said.

Mr. Erlinder pleaded to the court that his physical and mental health were endangered by his ongoing imprisonment, but the Judge declined his request for bail.

�The Government respects the court�s ruling and has no interest in seeing Mr. Erlinder�s health suffer. He will be afforded all necessary medical and consular support, as well as full access to his legal counsel. His family should rest assured that he is being kept in humane and safe conditions,� Mrs Mushikiwabo said.

�The Rwandan Government takes no pleasure from Mr. Erlinder�s plight, but this needs to be understood: flagrant and orchestrated breaches of our genocide ideology laws will be met with the full force of the law.�

�Perhaps Mr. Erlinder thought that his citizenship, academic standing or media profile would protect him � why else would a law professor so knowingly and deliberately break the law by entering Rwanda? But he failed to understand that genocide defenders and deniers � however rich, powerful or well-connected — are regarded by Rwandans as serious criminals hell-bent on destabilizing our nation.

�That is why we will continue to pursue this prosecution in the spirit of justice and in the interests of a peaceful and prosperous Rwanda,� Mrs. Mushikiwabo said.

Republic of Rwanda
Igor Marara, +250(0)788305218
Advisor to the Government Spokesperson
[email protected]

Peter Erlinder in court and his Kenyan lawyer, Kennedy Ogetto.

The St. Paul professor, Peter Erlinder, will remain in custody while being investigated by Rwandan officials, who promise that his health needs will be met.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Monday that she is asking for an expedited appeal in the case of Peter Erlinder, the St. Paul law professor who has been held in Rwandan custody since late last month.

The 62-year-old attorney appeared in court Monday and was denied bail while Rwandan officials investigate charges that he denied the country’s 1994 genocide and published articles that they say threaten the nation’s security. Erlinder pleaded not guilty on Friday.

“I am deeply disappointed that Rwandan authorities have decided to unnecessarily prolong Professor Erlinder’s detention and believe this decision should be reconsidered as soon as possible,” Klobuchar said Monday. The senator said she will contact government officials to urge an expedited appeal and “to convey my strong belief that he should be released.”

After the hearing where his bail request was rejected, Erlinder was transferred from the jail where he had been staying in for the past week to a general prison in Kigali.

Erlinder could be imprisoned for another month until his appeal is heard.

News that bail had been denied came as a blow to Erlinder’s family members, who gathered at his home in St. Paul to await the judge’s decision. Erlinder’s wife, Masako Usui, and his brother, Scott Erlinder, along with area supporters, received a brief e-mail update from Erlinder’s legal team in Kigali mid-morning.

“We’re disappointed that Pete won’t be released from jail or granted bail,” Scott Erlinder told reporters. “He’s expressed his willingness to cooperate by any condition imposed by the court of Rwanda, and we feel he should be released immediately. His family members are extremely concerned for health and his safety.”

In Monday’s hearing, a Rwandan judge rejected Erlinder’s argument that his physical and mental health would be jeopardized by continued imprisonment. Instead, the judge sided with the prosecution’s request to detain Erlinder during the investigation.

‘An act of justice’
In a statement that implied the government may not relent, Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said: “The prosecution of Peter Erlinder is not a political tactic. It is an act of justice. Revisionists and ideologues who traffic in genocide denial will be prosecuted and imprisoned.”

Erlinder’s lawyers argued at a Friday hearing that his health could deteriorate if he remained in prison, and asked that he be returned to the United States for medical treatment. Erlinder has said he suffers from depression and high blood pressure.

Mushikiwabo said Erlinder would be given all necessary medical support he requires. “His family should rest assured that he is being kept in humane and safe conditions,” Mushikiwabo said.

Erlinder entered Rwanda on May 23 to represent opposition presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire, who also has been charged with promoting “genocide ideology.”

A law professor at William Mitchell College of Law, Erlinder has called Rwandan President Paul Kagame a war criminal and said Kagame is partly to blame for the genocide that killed more than 800,000 Rwandans in the space of several months.

The slaughter was born of a long-standing conflict between Rwanda’s two major tribes, the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Hutus were in the majority at the time. Most of those killed were Tutsi rebels. Kagame was the leader of the Tutsi’s Rwandan Patriotic Front, which ousted the Hutus from power and effectively ended the genocide.

In April, Erlinder helped file a wrongful death lawsuit against Kagame that was filed in federal court in Oklahoma, where Kagame has ties to a university.

Erlinder leads a group of defense attorneys for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which is trying alleged leaders of the Rwanda genocide.

Since his arrest, Erlinder has been hospitalized twice, first after complaining of fever and dizziness and then when he swallowed a nonlethal dose of prescription pills in his cell. Rwandan police called it a suicide attempt, but his family said it was a strategy to escape the poor conditions of his jail cell for a hospital.

By late last week, international pressure had begun to mount and the U.S. State Department called for Erlinder’s release on compassionate grounds, without defending his actions.

Source: Star Tribune

By Aimable
The mainstream media narrative regarding the tragic events that took place in Rwanda in 1994 seek to portray an image of evil Hutus suddenly killing their own evil leader and then proceeding by butchering their angel Tutsi neighbors for no reason whatsoever. This narrative claims that all Tutsis are good people while all Hutus are bad people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In Rwanda, there are two groups of Tutsis. The extremist Tutsis who grew up in neighboring Uganda and the moderate Tutsis who grew up in Rwanda and other countries. The extremist Tutsis who grew up in Uganda have never liked the moderate Tutsis who grew up in Rwanda. Whereas the extremist Tutsis believe they are royal blood who are born to rule, the moderate Tutsis consider themselves normal human beings. But somehow the extremist Tutsis have used the moderate Tutsis as pawns to be sacrificed in their quest for power.

On January 28, 1993 exactly 15 months before the so-called “Tutsi genocide”, it was the first time that anyone had ever mentioned the word “genocide” in relation to Rwanda. This word was mentioned by extremist Tutsis who were part of the RPF rebel group. From that moment on, these extremist Tutsis in the RPF started using the word “genocide” in all their interviews, their speeches, their written materials, everything.

On the other hand, on February 8, 1993 exactly 11 days after the first mention of that word, the extremist Tutsi forces in the RPF butchered 40,000 unarmed Hutu civilians in one day in the regions of Ruhengeri and Byumba in Rwanda.

Since then, the extremist Tutsis in the RPF escalated their killings of the Hutu civilian population over the following 15 months.

This appears to have been a calculated effort to provoke the Hutu extremists into mass revenge killings, which would then be labeled “genocide” and with the international community on their side, the extremist Tutsis can take over power.

The extremist Tutsis’ wishes appear to have been granted on April 6, 1994 when they finally killed two Hutu Presidents, president Habyarimana of Rwanda and president Ntaryamira of Burundi as well as the Hutu Chief of Army.

The Hutu extremists after 15 months of sustained provocations launched into mass revenge killings against moderate Tutsis that have since been labeled the “Tutsi genocide.”

A fair review of Rwandan history that fully examines all the actions that have been taken by extremist Tutsis since January 28, 1993 when they first claimed “genocide” can only lead to one conclusion: the extremist Tutsis continuously intentionally provoked extremist Hutus over a 15 month period into the mass killings until the extremist Hutus were foolish enough to oblige them.

The mainstream media narrative implies that there is a comparison between Nazi Germany and Rwanda circa 1994. What this mainstream media does not realize or intentionally ignores are some of the differences below:

1. The Jews in Germany have never enslaved Germans and never claimed that they were superior and born to rule over the German masses.

Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda were an aristocratic minority that enslaved the Hutu peasant majority for over 400 years all the way until 1959.
When the Hutu peasants asked for democracy the extremist Tutsis responded that the Hutu masses were inferior by birth and were born to be ruled by the superior Tutsi aristocrats.

2. The Jews in Germany have never started a war attacking Germany from a foreign country.

Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda attacked the country from Uganda on October 1st, 1990. This was more than 5 times since 1960 that the extremist Tutsis had attacked the country.

3. The Jews in Germany did not spend a 4 year war fighting to gain power and in the process killing innocent German civilians.

Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda fought since October 1990 until April 1994 fighting to gain power and in the process displaced 1 million civilians and killed thousands others, an example being on February 8, 1993 when the Tutsi extremists in the RPF killed 40 thousand unarmed civilians in Byumba and Ruhengeri.

4. The Jews in Germany did not kill the German president, together with the Austrian president, the Chief of Army and several high-ranking officials after they had signed a peace treaty with them.

Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda killed the Hutu President of Rwanda, the Hutu President of Burundi, the Hutu Chief of Army and several high-ranking officials after they had signed a peace treaty with them.

5. The Jews in Germany did not follow the Germans into exile in neighboring countries and kill hundreds of thousands of them in forests like hunted animals.

Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda bombed refugee camps in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) and chased the survivors into the forests of the Congo (DRC) where they butchered hundreds of thousands of them.

Therefore, I really think it is completely wrong to compare Hitler’s Germany to 1994 Rwanda.

Rwanda will never move forward until the crimes against humanity committed by extremist Tutsis are acknowledged too. The saddest part in all this is that the moderate Tutsis and the moderate Hutus are the ones that have suffered whenever the extremist Hutus and the extremist Tutsis decided to kill people.

Aimable – www.rwandahumanrights.org
Source: opednews.com

Peter Erlinder in court and his Kenyan lawyer, Kennedy Ogetto.

Kigali � The American lawyer Peter Erlinder, appeared in court for the preliminary hearing late Friday. He was charged with denying and minimizing the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and publishing articles that threaten the country’s security. He pleaded not guilty to all charges levelled against him during the five-hour court hearing.

Erlinder had come in the country to represent Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza in her case which also involves genocide denial. Ingabire was also in court Friday to attend Erlinder’s hearing.

Draped in a long overcoat, Prof. Erlinder was flanked by a team of 9 legal representatives: his own four lawyers (an American, two Kenyans and a Rwandan) and five lawyers appointed by the Rwandan Bar Association.

The Prosecutor argued that Erlinder�s case is a serious one and there is strong evidence to back up the accusations ranging from his publications and utterances where he continuously and explicitly minimises and denies the Genocide. The accused also refers to President Paul Kagame as a genocidaire who downed the plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, thereby triggering the Genocide. He added that Erlinder intentionally preaches that the Genocide was not planned.

Prof Erlinder told the court that he was not aware that his publications back in America could be tantamount to Genocide denial.
“It is the first time I have come to know that my obscure publications back in America were that bad and could amount to genocide denial,” Erlinder told the court.
He said that it may be a case of misinterpretation or misunderstanding.

He said President Kagame’s party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, might dispute his writings, but “not all Rwandans.”

Prof. Erlinder said he had ignored warnings from his tribunal colleagues not to travel to Rwanda, where he had spent several days helping opposition leader Victoire Ingabire in her presidential election challenge before his May 28 arrest. He told the court that by travelling to Rwanda he was not aware that his past publications and speeches would get him into trouble with the Rwandan government.
“I believed the country has grown democratically, but if I am detained and prosecuted, my case will be confirm what is being said out there,” Erlinder said.

Appearing weak in court, Erlinder said that he has trust in the country�s institutions but his worry was his ill health. He said he was too old and too weak to stay in jail. He pleaded with Judge Maurice Mbishibishi to conditionally release him and allow him to travel back to the United States for appropriate treatment as his health is deteriorating. He promised to comply with any conditions the court sets and insisted he would cooperate with the court to interpret his writings, but would do so out of jail.

The prosecution insisted Erlinder should be provisionally detained as investigations into his case continue. �As prosecution, we have strong reasons to ask for his provisional detention because we see it as the only means to protect the accused as investigations into his case continue,� said Prosecutor Richard Muhumuza. �This way, he can always be available when prosecution needs him, and it is also to ensure that the accused doesn�t escape,� he said.

But Erlinder and his defence team argued that the accused is ready to cooperate and play by the rules the court will set, as long as he is allowed to access treatment.

He said he has not been mistreated during his time in jail and confirmed that doctors were there for him all the time, but also had not had contact with anyone while in Rwandan custody.
He added that he could not stay in jail anymore.
“I haven’t talked to anyone in my family, I haven’t listened to the radio or watched TV since I was arrested. I haven’t talked to my doctor,” he said.

As the focus shifted to the health of Erlinder, Prosecutor Richard Muhumuza, who is also handling the Ingabire case, argued against release on bail, but agreed not to object if a medical examination determined Erlinder needed treatment in the United States.

Prof. Erlinder who is undergoing an emotional and psychological breakdown, was upset and almost decided not to leave the courtroom when the judge Maurice Mbishibishi, who is also handling Ingabire case, pronounced that bail would be decided on Monday, meaning that he still has to spend at least another weekend in custody.

If convicted, Prof. Erlinder faces up to 25 years in prison.

The hearing continues on Monday.

Related:
Rwanda will not bow to pressure to release American lawyer Peter Erlinder