Rwanda: The Supreme Court hearings of the appeal trial against Madame Victoire Ingabire resumed this July 8, 2013

http://www.fdu-rwanda.com/

Rwanda: The Supreme Court hearings of the appeal trial against Madame Victoire Ingabire resumed this July 8, 2013

JULY 08, 2013  

"The fact that the crimes committed against Hutu refugees in Congo have not yet been qualified by a competent court does not mean that no crimes were committed at all."

The hearing of the appeal of Madame Victoire Ingabire, Chair of FDU-INKINGI before the Supreme Court resumed this July 8, 2013. The prosecution continued making its conclusions on the reasons for the appeal of Ms. Victoire Ingabire on two charges brought against her, namely high treason and minimization of genocide for which she was sentenced to 8 years prison.

With regard to minimizing genocide, the court had convicted her on the basis of her speech at the genocide memorial in Gisozi. She had said among other things that there were Hutu who perished in war crimes and crimes against humanity, and whose memory was not honored. For the court and the prosecution, this statement constitutes a crime of minimizing genocide against the Tutsi. The court also agreed with the prosecution that the fact that Mrs. Ingabire used the Mapping Report  which suggests that the crimes committed against Hutu refugees could be considered as genocide if they were presented to a court is evidence of minimizing genocide against the Tutsi. The court added that this way of thinking was equivalent to saying that there was double genocide

In her concluding submission to the Supreme Court, Mrs. Ingabire told the Court that the fact that the crimes committed against Hutu refugees in Congo by RPF soldiers have not yet been qualified as genocide by a competent court does not mean that no crimes were committed at all or that the culprits should not be prosecuted. Mrs. Ingabire added that denouncing such crimes and asking that the families of the victims be given the right to honor the memory of their loved ones cannot be considered as minimizing genocide against the Tutsi. Similarly, anyone who denounces these crimes should not be accused of advocating for the doctrine of double genocide.

As for the charge of high treason, Mrs. Ingabire observed that the court ruling was based on weak evidence, such as undated anonymous leaflets, without the names of the author or signature. Mrs. Ingabire also denounced the fact that she was convicted on the basis of forms of money transfer and emails that do not bear her names. She told the court that it should prosecute the persons appearing on these documents instead of her, since the Rwandan law recognizes that criminal liability is individual. The Prosecution argued that Ingabire's defence was baseless because the evidence of guilt was corroborated by statements of former FDLR rebels who are co-defendants. However, the Prosecution deliberately ignored the arguments of the Defence and witness statements which demonstrated that the said former FDLR rebels who are co-defendents were manipulated by the intelligence agents to frame charges against Mrs. Ingabire in order to get her arrested and hence stop her from pursuing her political ambitions in Rwanda as she had planned to do so.

The trial will continue this July 9, 2013. The prosecution will inform the court about its comments on the defense conclusions.

FDU-Inkingi
Boniface Twagirimana
Interim Vice-President

Rwanda: The Supreme Court hearings of the appeal trial against Madame Victoire Ingabire resumed this July 8, 2013

http://www.fdu-rwanda.com/

Rwanda: The Supreme Court hearings of the appeal trial against Madame Victoire Ingabire resumed this July 8, 2013

JULY 08, 2013  

"The fact that the crimes committed against Hutu refugees in Congo have not yet been qualified by a competent court does not mean that no crimes were committed at all."

The hearing of the appeal of Madame Victoire Ingabire, Chair of FDU-INKINGI before the Supreme Court resumed this July 8, 2013. The prosecution continued making its conclusions on the reasons for the appeal of Ms. Victoire Ingabire on two charges brought against her, namely high treason and minimization of genocide for which she was sentenced to 8 years prison.

With regard to minimizing genocide, the court had convicted her on the basis of her speech at the genocide memorial in Gisozi. She had said among other things that there were Hutu who perished in war crimes and crimes against humanity, and whose memory was not honored. For the court and the prosecution, this statement constitutes a crime of minimizing genocide against the Tutsi. The court also agreed with the prosecution that the fact that Mrs. Ingabire used the Mapping Report  which suggests that the crimes committed against Hutu refugees could be considered as genocide if they were presented to a court is evidence of minimizing genocide against the Tutsi. The court added that this way of thinking was equivalent to saying that there was double genocide

In her concluding submission to the Supreme Court, Mrs. Ingabire told the Court that the fact that the crimes committed against Hutu refugees in Congo by RPF soldiers have not yet been qualified as genocide by a competent court does not mean that no crimes were committed at all or that the culprits should not be prosecuted. Mrs. Ingabire added that denouncing such crimes and asking that the families of the victims be given the right to honor the memory of their loved ones cannot be considered as minimizing genocide against the Tutsi. Similarly, anyone who denounces these crimes should not be accused of advocating for the doctrine of double genocide.

As for the charge of high treason, Mrs. Ingabire observed that the court ruling was based on weak evidence, such as undated anonymous leaflets, without the names of the author or signature. Mrs. Ingabire also denounced the fact that she was convicted on the basis of forms of money transfer and emails that do not bear her names. She told the court that it should prosecute the persons appearing on these documents instead of her, since the Rwandan law recognizes that criminal liability is individual. The Prosecution argued that Ingabire's defence was baseless because the evidence of guilt was corroborated by statements of former FDLR rebels who are co-defendants. However, the Prosecution deliberately ignored the arguments of the Defence and witness statements which demonstrated that the said former FDLR rebels who are co-defendents were manipulated by the intelligence agents to frame charges against Mrs. Ingabire in order to get her arrested and hence stop her from pursuing her political ambitions in Rwanda as she had planned to do so.

The trial will continue this July 9, 2013. The prosecution will inform the court about its comments on the defense conclusions.

FDU-Inkingi
Boniface Twagirimana
Interim Vice-President

Rwanda: Les audiences du procès en appel de madame Victoire Ingabire devant la cour suprême ont repris ce 8 juillet 2013

http://www.fdu-rwanda.com/

 

Rwanda: Les audiences du procès en appel de madame Victoire Ingabire devant la cour suprême ont repris ce 8 juillet 2013.  

Kigali, 8 juillet 2013.

 

« Que les crimes commis contre les réfugiés Hutu au Congo n'aient pas encore été qualifiés par un tribunal ne signifient pas qu'il n'y a pas eu infraction ».

Les audiences du procès en appel de madame Victoire Ingabire, présidente des FDU INKINGI devant la cour suprême ont repris ce 8 juillet 2013. L'accusation a poursuivi la lecture de ses conclusions  sur les motivations de l'appel de madame Victoire Ingabire concernant les deux chefs d'accusation retenus contre elle, à savoir la trahison et la minimisation du génocide pour lesquels elle avait été condamnée à 8 ans de prison.

S'agissant de la minimisation du génocide, la cour l'avait condamnée sur base de son discours prononcé au mémorial du génocide de Gisozi. Elle avait entre autre déclaré qu'il y avait des Hutu qui avaient péri dans des crimes de guerre et des crimes contre l'humanité, et dont la mémoire n'était pas honorée. Pour la cour et le ministère public, cette déclaration constitue un crime de minimisation du génocide contre les Tutsi. La cour rejoint aussi le ministère public en disant que le fait que madame Ingabire se soit défendue  en exhibant notamment le rapport Mapping Report qui affirme que les crimes commis contre les réfugiés Hutu au Congo peuvent être qualifiés de génocide , et qu'elle l'affirme comme si ça avait été déjà qualifié comme tel par un tribunal, constitue un crime de minimisation du génocide contre les Tutsi. Et d'ajouter que cette façon de raisonner équivaut à affirmer qu' il y a eu double génocide.

Dans ses conclusions remises à la cour suprême, madame Ingabire quant à elle affirme que le fait que les crimes commis contre les réfugiés Hutu par les forces du FPR n'aient pas encore été qualifiés de génocide  par un tribunal ne signifie pas nullement qu'il n'y ait pas eu crime du tout ou que des poursuites ne doivent pas être engagées. Ingabire ajoute que le fait de dénoncer ces crimes et de demander que les familles des victimes aient le droit d'honorer leur mémoire ne peut pas être qualifié de minimisation du génocide contre les Tutsi. De même, quiconque dénonce ces crimes ne doit pas être accusé d'adepte de la théorie du double génocide.

Quant au chef d'accusation de trahison, madame Ingabire affirme que la cour s'est basée sur des indices non sérieux, comme des tracts, sans auteur, sans signature, sans date. Madame Ingabire dénonce aussi le fait qu'elle ait été condamnée sur base de formulaires d'envoi d'argent et d'emails qui ne portent pas son nom. La cour aurait dû poursuivre les personnes figurant sur ces documents, dès lors que la loi rwandaise reconnaît que la responsabilité est individuelle. Le ministère public estime quant à lui que les propos de madame Ingabire sont sans fondement, puisque les indices de culpabilité correspondent aux déclarations des rebelles des FDLR qui sont ses coaccusés. Ici le ministère public fait sciemment abstraction des plaidoiries de la défense  et de divers témoignages qui montrent comment ses militaires des FDLR ont été préparés par les services de renseignements et du bureau du procureur dans le but de justifier son arrestation et entraver son projet politique au Rwanda depuis qu'elle avait rendu publique sa décision .

Le procès se poursuit ce 9 juillet 2013. L'accusation fera part à la cour de ses commentaires sur les conclusions de la défense.

 

FDU-Inkingi

Boniface Twagirimana

Vice-président intérimaire

USA: Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: Who Is Linda Thomas-Greenfield?

http://www.allgov.com/news/appointments-and-resignations/assistant-secretary-of-state-for-african-affairs-who-is-linda-thomas-greenfield-130705?news=850479

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: Who Is Linda Thomas-Greenfield?

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 inShare

Friday, July 05, 2013

The next head of the State Department Bureau of African Affairs, which handles relations with 49 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, will be a career diplomat who has focused her career on Africa. President Barack Obama has nominated Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has been director general of the Foreign Service and director of Human Resources since April 2012, to be the next Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Assuming she is confirmed by the Senate as expected, she would succeedJohnnie Carson, a former ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda, who served from 2008 to 2012. 

 

Born in Baker, Louisiana, circa 1952, Linda Thomas-Greenfield earned a BA in Political Science at Louisiana State University in 1974 and an MA in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin in 1976.

 

Thomas-Greenfield taught political science at Bucknell University before joining the Foreign Service in 1982. Her first assignment came that year as a consular officer in Kingston, Jamaica. In Africa, she has served in Nigeria (for two and a half years), Gambia (for three years) and Kenya.

 

Her sojourn in Kenya was not without incident. After just nine months there, in 1995 she told Keith B. Richburg of The Washington Post, that her home in Nairobi had been burglarized five times. An electric fence failed to stop intruders so the local police agreed to station two officers on her grounds. But then the officers began demanding side money for their services. "I've gotten to the point where I'm more afraid not to give them money," she said. "They're sitting outside with automatic weapons."

 

In April 1994 she was sent to Rwanda on an official visit to assess refugee conditions, but two days after she arrived, the plane of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana was shot down, and the Rwandan genocide broke out. Six-feet tall and black, Thomas-Greenfield was mistaken for a Tutsi. Hutu soldiers held a machine gun to her head, while she begged for her life, emphasizing her Louisiana accent: "I don't have anything to do with this. I'm not a Rwandan. I'm an American." She then watched as the soldiers killed a Tutsi gardener. A few days later, she was allowed to leave Rwanda.

 

Other overseas postings have included stints in Pakistan and Switzerland, where she served at the U.S. Mission to the many UN organizations that have their headquarters there.

 

In Washington, Thomas-Greenfield served as a staff assistant in the Office of the Director General of the Foreign Service from 1991 to 1993; in the Bureau of Human Resources; as a deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration from 2004 to 2006; and as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs from 2006 to 2008.

 

From 2008 to 2012, Thomas-Greenfield served as ambassador to Liberia. In 2005, she had led a State Department delegation that observed the Liberian national elections.

 

Linda Thomas-Greenfield and her husband, Lafayette, have two children, Lindsay and Lafayette II.

 

-Matt Bewig, David Wallechinsky

 

To Learn More:

Official Biography

Diversity Network Leadership Interview Series (by Diversity in Global Education Network)

Thomas-Greenfield Likely Choice for Assistant Secretary (by Tami Hultman and Reed Kramer, allAfrica)

USA: Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: Who Is Linda Thomas-Greenfield?

http://www.allgov.com/news/appointments-and-resignations/assistant-secretary-of-state-for-african-affairs-who-is-linda-thomas-greenfield-130705?news=850479

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: Who Is Linda Thomas-Greenfield?

Back to News

 

 inShare

Friday, July 05, 2013

The next head of the State Department Bureau of African Affairs, which handles relations with 49 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, will be a career diplomat who has focused her career on Africa. President Barack Obama has nominated Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has been director general of the Foreign Service and director of Human Resources since April 2012, to be the next Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Assuming she is confirmed by the Senate as expected, she would succeedJohnnie Carson, a former ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda, who served from 2008 to 2012. 

 

Born in Baker, Louisiana, circa 1952, Linda Thomas-Greenfield earned a BA in Political Science at Louisiana State University in 1974 and an MA in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin in 1976.

 

Thomas-Greenfield taught political science at Bucknell University before joining the Foreign Service in 1982. Her first assignment came that year as a consular officer in Kingston, Jamaica. In Africa, she has served in Nigeria (for two and a half years), Gambia (for three years) and Kenya.

 

Her sojourn in Kenya was not without incident. After just nine months there, in 1995 she told Keith B. Richburg of The Washington Post, that her home in Nairobi had been burglarized five times. An electric fence failed to stop intruders so the local police agreed to station two officers on her grounds. But then the officers began demanding side money for their services. "I've gotten to the point where I'm more afraid not to give them money," she said. "They're sitting outside with automatic weapons."

 

In April 1994 she was sent to Rwanda on an official visit to assess refugee conditions, but two days after she arrived, the plane of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana was shot down, and the Rwandan genocide broke out. Six-feet tall and black, Thomas-Greenfield was mistaken for a Tutsi. Hutu soldiers held a machine gun to her head, while she begged for her life, emphasizing her Louisiana accent: "I don't have anything to do with this. I'm not a Rwandan. I'm an American." She then watched as the soldiers killed a Tutsi gardener. A few days later, she was allowed to leave Rwanda.

 

Other overseas postings have included stints in Pakistan and Switzerland, where she served at the U.S. Mission to the many UN organizations that have their headquarters there.

 

In Washington, Thomas-Greenfield served as a staff assistant in the Office of the Director General of the Foreign Service from 1991 to 1993; in the Bureau of Human Resources; as a deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration from 2004 to 2006; and as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs from 2006 to 2008.

 

From 2008 to 2012, Thomas-Greenfield served as ambassador to Liberia. In 2005, she had led a State Department delegation that observed the Liberian national elections.

 

Linda Thomas-Greenfield and her husband, Lafayette, have two children, Lindsay and Lafayette II.

 

-Matt Bewig, David Wallechinsky

 

To Learn More:

Official Biography

Diversity Network Leadership Interview Series (by Diversity in Global Education Network)

Thomas-Greenfield Likely Choice for Assistant Secretary (by Tami Hultman and Reed Kramer, allAfrica)