Law Conference Upholds Free Speech Rights: Rejects Rwanda Dictatorship’s Attempts to Censor Thought and Speech!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2010

CONTACT:
Second International Criminal Defense Conference
Prof. Peter Erlinder, peter.erlinder@wmitchell.edu
Phone: 1-651-271-4616

BRUXELLES - May 21 - The ad hoc organizing committee of the Second International Criminal Defense Conference, being held in Bruxelles on May 21-23,[1] wishes to thank Rwanda Chief Prosecutor Ngoga, and Kigali’s New Times, for publishing several articles drawing international attention to the importance of the Conference for everyone concerned with continuing violence in central Africa.

The ad hoc committee defends the right to freedom of speech and thought and expects non-disruptive exchange of ideas that will be subject to public critique, and historical/scientific evaluation, as were those from Nov. 2009 Hague Conference. http://www.ictrlegacyconference.org/

Ngoga mischaracterizes the historic Military-1 Trial Judgement of February 2009 completely rejects the “long-planned genocide” theory, which Rwandans are not permitted to question.(www.rwandadocumentsproject.net) which:

· Acquitted all four defendants of “planning or conspiracy” to commit genocide, or other crimes, either before or after April 6, 1994;

· Acquitted the highest ranking officer to be tried at the ICTR, Gen. Gratien Kabiligi, of all charges; and,

· Acquitted Col Bagosora (who is represented by Me. Rafael Constant of Paris not Mr. Erlinder) of all charges that occurred before April 6 and after April 8, 1994.

The Kagame regime habitually calls its political opponents “criminals” as has been demonstrated in the arrest and prosecution of Madame Victoire Inagabire and others, in the run-up to the August elections. Kagame used the same tactic to virtually eliminate political opposition in the 2007 “sham- election” that formalized his monolithic regime.

The Conference organizing committee rejects the Kagame government’s efforts to outlaw questioning of the role of Kagame’s RPF in crimes that have been charged to RPF opponents. Kagame/RPF responsibility for the assassinations of the Presidents of Burundi and Rwanda is the subject of French and Spanish indictments, and a wrongful death civil case in U.S. federal court. RPF responsibility for these crimes has been confirmed by former Chief ICTR Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, and others from ICTR Prosecutor’s Office.

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