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The European Parliament

The European Parliament passed three separate resolutions on Thursday 23 May 2013, calling for measures leading to the abolition of the death penalty in India and to human rights reforms in Rwanda, and expressing concerns about the situation of hunger striking prisoners in Guantanamo. We welcome and support this resolution by the Parliament to exert continued pressure to encourage human rights reforms in Rwanda. The full text of the resolution on Rwanda is as follows:

�MEPs stress that the criminal trial of Victoire Ingabire is an important test of the Rwandan judiciary�s capacity to deal with high-profile political cases in a fair and independent manner and express concerns that the trial did not meet international standards.

The Rwandan judicial authorities must investigate allegations of torture and other abuses of human rights effectively and bring those guilty to justice, MEPs insist. The Rwandan authorities must ensure the separation of powers, and in particular the independence of the judiciary, guarantee freedom of expression and review the law on �genocide ideology� in order to meet Rwanda�s obligations under international law, say MEPs.

The resolution recalls that the EU has formally raised its concerns about respect for human rights and the right to a free trial in Rwanda, under Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement. MEPs call on the EU, in collaboration with other international donors, to exert continued pressure to encourage human rights reform in Rwanda �.

This is an important step towards a more demanding stand vis-�-vis the current Rwandan dictatorship violating human rights inside and outside the country with total impunity.

Rwandan army is still involved in fresh clashes in the Eastern DRC backing the M23 militia that was
condemned by the United Nations Security Counsel and by many members of the international community. The Rwandan government has done all in its powers to block the deployment of the International Brigade appointed by the UN Security council.

ON 28 March 2013, the Security Council passed its Resolution 2098 (2013) on the creation of its firstever �offensive� combat force, intended to carry out targeted operations to �neutralize and disarm� the notorious 23 March Movement (M23), as well as other Congolese rebels and foreign armed groups in strife-riven eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

We call upon members of the international community to exert more pressure on the government
of Rwanda to stop all forms of support to the notorious militia in the DRC and to open the political space and to unconditionally release all political prisoners in Rwanda.

Dr. Nkiko Nsengimana
Co-ordinator
FDU-inkingi
Lausanne
Switzerland

Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa
Co-ordinator
Rwanda National Congress (RNC)
Washington, D.C.
USA
Contact : [email protected]

Source: FDU-Inkingi