Fw: *DHR* Rwandan officials 'aiding and abetting war crimes in Congo' - Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/rwanda/9536091/Rwandan-officials-aiding-and-abetting-war-crimes-in-Congo.html

Rwandan officials 'aiding and abetting war crimes in Congo'

Andrew Mitchell, the former International Development Secretary, claims that Rwanda had made "progress" towards satisfying Britain's concerns about its support for rebels in Congo.

Picture: Reuters

By Mike Pflanz in NairobiLast Updated: 4:31PM BST 11/09/2012

Senior officials in Rwanda could face justice for "aiding and abetting" war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said, a week after Britain restored its aid for the country's government.

The Department for International Development became the first Western donor to restart aid payments to Rwanda last Tuesday. Britain had withheld £16 million after United Nations investigators found that Rwanda armed and supplied the "M23" guerrilla movement in neighbouring Congo.

But Andrew Mitchell, the former International Development Secretary,released this sum on his last day in office, claiming that Rwanda had made "progress" towards satisfying Britain's concerns about its support for rebels in Congo.

In fact, Rwanda has recruited 600 fighters for the M23 rebels, according to an investigation by Human Rights Watch, with this taking place "either by force or under false pretences". Recruitment was happening as recently as last month - exactly the time when Mr Mitchell said that Rwanda was acting to allay British concerns.

In July, Rwanda sent "several hundred" soldiers into Congo to help the rebels capture three towns and a border post. With direct military support from Rwanda, M23 guerrillas have carried out "widespread war crimes, including summary executions, rapes and forced recruitment," said the rights group, adding that some of those forced into its ranks as soldiers were children under the age of 15.

"The M23 rebels are committing a horrific trail of new atrocities in eastern Congo," said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"M23 commanders should be held accountable for these crimes, and the Rwandan officials supporting these abusive commanders could face justice for aiding and abetting the crimes."

Human Rights Watch has documented the recruitment of at least 137 young men and boys in Rutshuru territory, eastern Congo, by M23 rebels since July. At least seven were under the age of 15.

Witnesses told researchers that at least 33 new recruits and other M23 fighters were summarily executed when they attempted to flee. Some were tied up and shot in front of other recruits as an example of the punishment they could receive.

"When we were with the M23, they said [we had a choice] and could stay with them or we could die," one young recruit was reported as saying.

"Lots of people tried to escape. Some were found and then that was immediately their death."

The M23 rebellion began as a mutiny inside Congo's national army. Bosco Ntaganda, a renegade general who leads the rebels, is the target of two arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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DR Congo: M23 Rebels Committing War Crimes

DR Congo: M23 Rebels Committing War Crimes

Rwandan Officials Should Immediately Halt All Support or Face Sanctions

 (Goma) – M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are responsible for widespread war crimes, including summary executions, rapes, and forced recruitment. Thirty-three of those executed were young men and boys who tried to escape the rebels' ranks.

Rwandan officials may be complicit in war crimes through their continued military assistance to M23 forces, Human Rights Watch said. The Rwandan army has deployed its troops to eastern Congo to directly support the M23 rebels in military operations.

Human Rights Watch based its findings on interviews with 190 Congolese and Rwandan victims, family members, witnesses, local authorities, and current or former M23 fighters between May and September.

More:

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/11/dr-congo-m23-rebels-committing-war-crimes

 

 

Are British bizarre people ?

Are British bizarre people ?

Yes they are.  Just an example:

 

A British person  will be happy to watch and listen to someone ( a friend, a  stranger  or a foreigner) speaking in English. But the British person he  will not feel ashamed of  not being able to speak in  his friend' language. Most  British people struggle  with foreign languages.

Rwanda: Ingabire trial verdict postponed

 

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16224091,00.html   Justice Ingabire trial verdict postponed The verdict in the trial of Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has again been postponed, this time until October. The trial has raised concerns about the independence of the country's courts. The head of the unregistered Unified Democratic Forces (FDU)-Inkingi party, Victoire Ingabire, has been charged with backing the Hutu rebel group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and inciting ethnic divisions. She has also been charged with denying the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which nearly a million people, most of them Tutsi and moderate Hutus, were killed in the 100-day killing spree. Ingabire lived in exile in the Netherlands for 16 years. Her dream of getting her political party registered and pursuing a political career in her homeland vanished when she was detained and placed under house arrest on her return home in January 2010. Ingabire has been attending court sessions since September 2011. Rwandan prosecutors are seeking a life sentence, but Ingabire and her British lawyer, Iain Edwards, are fighting for an acquittal. The verdict, which was originally due in June, has now been rescheduled for October 19, 2012. Controversial genocide law The Genocide Memorial Center in Kigali Two FDLR officers were accused along with Ingabire. The two have pleaded guilty to working together with her. However, Iain Edwards says that admission was made under "bizarre circumstances". The genocide denial charges which Ingabire refutes are based on a statement she made on the day she returned to Rwanda from exile. At Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, she criticized the country for not having an effective policy towards national reconciliation. "At this memorial center, it is only the Tutsi genocide which is commemorated. There is also a need to remember that the Hutu people were also massacred. In order for true reconciliation to be achieved, every side's plight must be taken into account," said Ingabire, who is herself a member of the Hutu tribe. There has been criticism that the case against Ingabire is politically motivated, and that the charges are directly connected to a political conflict between the Rwandan government and two opposition groups, FDLR and FDU-Inkingi. Dr. Alexander Stroh, an expert on Rwanda with the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, GIGA, takes a cautious approach. "There are laws in Rwanda, whether one likes them or not, which say that statements linked to genocide ideology and propagation of divisionism are liable to sentencing," he told DW. "You can criticize those laws but they exist and prohibit persons from saying certain things in Rwanda," Stroh said, adding that, for him " if Ingabire is to be convicted, the more important question will be whether the motive is political or not.". Ingabire had hoped to run against President Paul Kagame Opposition versus the regime Victoire Ingabire is regarded as an outspoken critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame. That's why her lawyer has no doubt that the case against her is politically motivated. According to him, she has been "a fresh wind blowing in the country" who managed to make the regime uncomfortable. In April this year, Ingabire announced that she would boycott her trial after the court cut short a witness who accused Rwandan authorities of rigging evidence against her. Ingabire is not the first Rwandan opposition figure to stand trial. In February, the Supreme Court sentenced Mushayidi Deogratias, the leader of another unregistered party, the Pact for People's Defense (PDP), to life in prison. He was found guilty of planning to overthrow the government. Bernard Ntaganda, of the PS-Imberakuri party, is currently serving a four-year sentence for endangering national security and inciting ethnic divisions in the country. Victoire Ingabire with her lawyer Iain Edwards Rwandan judicial system in question These verdicts have raised concerns about whether the courts are serving the government's political agenda. Court spokesperson Charles Kaliwabo dismisses such allegations and insists that the Rwandan judicial system is totally independent. "I don't think we have sufficient time to convince those who can't be convinced, but at least we ask them to judge us by what we do," he said. Date 06.09.2012 Author Daniel Gakuba / al Editor Susan Houlton Share Send Facebook Twitter google+ more linkedin stumble Digg reddit del.icio.us Newsvine Feedback: Do you agree or disagree with Victoir Ingabire's statement about genocide? Send us an e-mail. Please include your name and country in your reply. Print print this page dw.de Verdict in trial of Rwandan opposition leader postponed The verdict in the trial of Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, due on Friday, has been put off until September. She refutes charges of bankrolling terrorism and genocide denial. (28.06.2012)  In Rwanda, stability trumps democracy as nation goes to polls Rwandans voted Monday in presidential elections, but the outcome is already all but certain. Critics of the government say the country may be stable but has moved far away from being a real democracy. (08.08.2010)  Sweden freezes aid to Rwanda Sweden has announced that it is provisionally suspending aid to the African nation of Rwanda. The decision comes amid reports that Rwanda is backing rebels fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (13.08.2012)  Audios and videos on the topic Listen to a report about the trial of Victoire Ingabire

 

http://blackstarnews.com/news/122/ARTICLE/8442/2012-09-07.html   Verdict Postponed In Rwanda Political Prisoner's Case By Boniface Twagirimana 09-07-12       Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza   [Op-Ed] The High Court in Kigali has just adjourned to Friday 19 October 2012, the political verdict of the opposition leader, Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza. She has been incarcerated since 14 October 2010 on politically motivated charges. The Court is waiting for the Supreme court ruling on a constitutional review motion. The prosecution has asked for a life sentence in this case. Most of the presidents of opposition parties in Rwanda are in maximum security prisons. Three days ago, we were informed about the disappearance of the first vice president of PS Imberakuri, Mr. Alexis Bakunzibake. There are news that the kidnappers have dumped him alive in a bush in Kabare district in neighboring Uganda. We are still investigating this information. We welcome the return yesterday from exile of Mr. Frank Habineza, leader of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda. He left after the assassination of his first Vice President, the late André Kagwa Rwisereka in July 2010, a month before the presidential election. The demanded independent investigation never happened. Boniface Twagirimana is Interim Vice President, FDU-Inkingi

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