Coordinator General
Organization for Peace Justice and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR)
February 8, 2010
N° 14/V/PK/210
Excellency General Major Paul Kagame President of Republic of Rwanda
PO Box 15 Kigali-Rwanda.
Ref: Rwanda’s Political Climate
Your Excellency;
The Organization for Peace Justice and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR).Inc.; a Human Rights Organization, as many other close observers of Rwanda, follows with very deep concerns the recent degradation of political atmosphere in Rwanda as well as pressures and intimidations to the oppositions parties through your own threatening words of “Wall” during the presidential monthly press conference on February 8, 2010, the Senate and some of your government officials such as Minister of Internal Security Sheikh Mussa Fazil Harerimana but also government supporter’s mob and medias lynching to the political opposition actors in Rwanda.
For the past fifteen years, the government of Rwanda under your leadership has managed to do everything possible to silence any opposition and local media’s through various abuses and often purposely assimilating any opposing voice to divisionism which is a very significant allegation in a country that recently went through conflicts including genocide in 1994. The current government has led the Rwandan people under fear and oppression with no will to initiate a true dialogue as a necessary path toward building a genuine reconciliation. OPJDR deplores many those government sponsored actions to silence political opposition leaders including the following:
On Jan 18, 2010, the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission released a Bidding Notice N° 01/CS/RDRC/ 2010 with objective of tracking down the leaders of your political opponents parties, FDLR and RUD-URUNANA, pointing especially on Dr. KANYAMIBWA Félicien, Dr. DUKUZE Augustin, Dr. HIGIRO Jean Marie Vianney, Mr. Callixte Mbarushimana, Général Major NTILIKINA Faustin, Major NTASHAMAJE Gérard, Major MUNYARUGURU Emmanuel, Father Berchmans, Mr. MBARUSHIMANA Callixte, Ms ABAYIZIGIRA Goretti, and Ms MUKAKIGERI Claudine. OPJDR believes that hunting down and silencing opposition leaders is not the right way for the government to solve Rwanda’s political crisis, instead believes that only a frank dialogue would be the only promising way. Therefore, OPJDR believes that in order to promote a lasting peace in Rwanda, your office should stop such man hunting and instead use limited government resources to organize a frank and inclusive dialogue among all Rwandan factions.
Late last year, the new Green Party convention led by Mr. Frank Habineza has been brutally disrupted by a number of para-military mob terrorizing and beating its members subsequently halting all the convention proceedings and worse, leaving some of its party’s members with broken ribs and bones.
Just recently, a number of Senate’s hearing have been held requesting the President of the newly agreed Social Party-Imberakuri political opposition leader and candidate to the upcoming presidential elections, Mr. Bernard Ntaganda to explain himself on his statements in which he highlighted that there were no real political opposition parties in Rwanda up to now and from the government and Senate leader’s perspective that amounted to divisionism remarks.
Many governmental media such as the daily “The New Times” and Radio Rwanda and other pro-government sponsored groups have verbally and physically lynched the Unified Democratic Forces (FDU - Inkingi) party’s leader and candidate to the upcoming presidential elections set for August 9, 2010, Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, for having asked people to go out of their fears and claim for the country true democratic process to materialize as well as asked for all human souls that have perished during the 1994 genocide and crimes against humanity be remembered. Mme Victoire Ingabire’s assistant, Mr. Joseph Ntawangundi was severely beaten by a mob in the local administrative building of sector Kinyinya, on the outskirt of Kigali City on February 3rd, 2010 while Mme Victoire was just been called by a government official to come and pick up some registration papers in preparation to register her political party in Rwanda. While the attack was aimed at Mrs. Victoire, she was able to escape thanks to her assistant. It is now very surprising to see Mr. Joseph Ntawangundi being accused for genocide by the Gacaca court systems while according to the FDU’s officials, Mr. Joseph Ntawangundi wasn’t even in Rwanda in 1994. In light of this counter accusation, it is another proof of many cases we also highlighted in the past that a significant number of justice officials were not only corrupted, findings that were also confirmed by the 2009 Rwandan’s Ombudsman report, but also the government officials have often influenced judicial outcomes, mostly regarding the Gacaca community-based justice.
OPJDR urges your government to work on the right side of the Rwandan history in promoting civil liberties and political rights. Our organization is convinced that with this political climate degradation that also seems to be powered by the government could, in many respects, lead to an uncontrollable violence similar to the 1994’s or worse. It is in that regard that we call upon your authority to do everything possible to ensure full respect for the rule of law and human rights, build a free, credible, and transparent electoral process through advocating the expression of peaceful criticism and dissent.
OPJDR also believes that while not only the government of Rwanda should be responsible at ensuring a transparent electoral and democratic process and a broader participation of its people but it should also work on a true process of dialogue to reconcile the nation.
We thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter and hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Pascal Kalinganire
Cordinator General
OPJDR
P.O. Box 784 • Manchester, NH • 03105
PHONE: (603) 621-0264
http://www.opjdr.org/
CC:
Excellency U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
US Senate Subcommittee on African Affairs
506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4904
Honorable Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520
Honorable Mr.Kenneth Roth
Executive Director of Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Note:
OPJDR is a non-profit and apolitical Human Rights Organization. Its mission is to promote the respect of human rights and Cultural, educational, and economic development in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.
Related Materials:
Open Letter to Mrs. Domitila Mukantaganzwa, the Executive Secretary of the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions in Rwanda
Rwanda: End Attacks on Opposition Parties
Rwanda opposition faces intimidation: rights group
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