Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

The position of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda on Genocide Ideology, Crimes against Humanity, Accusations on Ms. Victoire INGABIRE, Me.Bernard NTAGANDA and The Arrest of Prof. Peter ERLINDER

By Frank Habineza
Founding President
Democratic Green Party of Rwanda
June 3, 2010

OUR POSITION ON: Genocide Ideology, Crimes against Humanity, Accusations on Ms. Victoire INGABIRE, Me.Bernard NTAGANDA and The Arrest of Prof. Peter ERLINDER

With the ongoing political, social and security tension in Rwanda, the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda would like to clarify its position on the Genocide Ideology, Crimes against humanity, the arrest of the American Lawyer Prof. Peter ERLINDER, and the accusations to Ms. Victoire INGABIRE and Me. Bernard NTAGANDA fellow opposition Leaders and members of the Permanent Consultative Council of Opposition Parties in Rwanda.

GENOCIDE IDEOLOGY:

The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda believes that indeed the problem of genocide ideology started as far back as 1950’s after the abolition of the monarchy and culminated into the 1994 genocide against Tutsis. This genocide ideology could be acts, statements and plans to exterminate fellow Rwandans but since the 1994 genocide is still fresh in our minds, this ideology is more targeting the Tutsis other than anybody else.

We strongly condemn anyone who may have plans to take the country back in the situation of 1994 Genocide.

We believe that the Law on Genocide ideology should be more clarified and fine-tuned so that it is not used by anyone to freeze political thoughts and descent voices on pretext that they have a genocide ideology. This would minimize the constitutional guarantee of the freedom of expression.

CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY:

During the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis, the regime in power also targeted political opponents from other tribes. Many more people (Hutus) were killed. The then rebel Rwanda Patriotic Front/Army (RPF/A) was fighting with Government Soldiers. Some RPA soldiers killed innocent civilians. It was not RPF policy to kill HUTUS. The RPA soldiers who killed people were severely punished and some evidences are available. It may be possible that not all were punished. Investigations can be made and those who committed crimes against humanity be brought to book.

The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, will set up a Truth and Justice Commission, which will help to resolve this problem and bring about genuine reconciliation in the Rwandan people.

We shall also establish a National Rwandan Dialogue, which will bring all people from different walks of life both in the country and Diaspora to help in setting a sustainable Rwanda, where Rwandans will have justice, peace and tranquility.

We believe that all those who committed the genocide and crimes against humanity should be punished and Never Again should be Never Again. The problem of FDLR is a political problem. It cannot be solved using military might. It needs political answers and the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda has those answers, using its principles of : Non-Violence, Social Justice, Participatory Democracy, Respect for Diversity, Respect for Human Rights, Sustainable Development and Ecological Wisdom.

ACCUSATIONS ON OPPOSITION LEADERS:

Ms.Victoire INGABIRE UMUHOZA of FDU INKINGI:

Convicting and Jailing Ms.Victoire Ingabire will not solve any political problem. It will rather increase the political tension. An open society with open public debates on national contentious issues affecting the Rwandan people is the only best solution and key to a better future of Rwanda.

Political harassment, intimidation, imprisonment, forcing people into exile, all these solutions do not guarantee a better future for Rwanda. Freezing political space will not force people in their hearts to Love and belong to RPF. They will only learn how to become better hypocrites and this is very dangerous for the future of the nation of Rwanda.

FDU INKINGI should not be denied its right of existence, since not all its members have been accused or arrested on any crime.

Me.Bernard NTAGANDA of PS IMBERAKURI:

We strongly believe that he is the real Leader and President of PS IMBERAKURI. Anything contrally to that is just a joke and a game to benefit the powers to be.

The Government should learn how to become impartial and stop meddling itself in the management of other political parties and should follow all the legal procedures other than promoting divisionism in opposition political parties and then later pretend by branding that the opposition parties have internal problems.

We strongly condemn this behavior, we should learn from what happened in the 1990’s, when the Government in power then started killing opposition politicians and then blamed it on the opposition parties themselves that they have internal wrangles. History tells us that this later coasted the country too much.

We call upon the RPF led Government to borrow a leaf from history and resist any behavior that may entice it to cause political wrangles in the opposition parties. It’s the RPF that will pay heavily.

We call upon the National police to fully investigate and bring to book the architects of violence on the attack of Ms. MUKABUNANE Christine.

RPF should remember that when it called the Rwandan Government in the 1990’s to stop its bad behavior and it never answered, this coasted the country too much, leading to a loss of more than million lives. So RPF should not keep a deaf hear.

ARREST OF AMERICAN LAWYER, Prof. Peter ERLINDER:

We wonder in the first place why the Government of Rwanda, allowed Prof. Peter ERLINDER to enter the country if they knew very well that he was a genocide denier. We still wonder why they did not make him ‘persona non grata’ and instead went ahead to arrest him from his Hotel in Kigali.

The International Community should now show its true friendship to the people of Rwanda and Request the Rwandan Government to respect the laws it put in place by its self with great support of your tax payers hard earned money.

We strongly condemn this arrest and call upon his immediate release. Even though Rwanda is a sovereign state and would like to prove to the International Community that it is able enough to manage its duties and thus does not need any foreign advice, the International Law Principles should be applied in this case.

The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, is a party of the new generation, we are beyond ethnic and tribal lines. We are not slaves to any political ideology history of the country. We have a new Vision for Rwanda and a new ideology for Rwanda. The Green Ideology is the only ideology that goes beyond any political divisionism and it’s an ideology that ensures a peaceful, just and sustainable Rwanda. We consider all Rwandans innocent in the eyes of the Law until proven guilty. When, time is due, please don’t hesitate to VOTE GREEN. We are the Original. We are the foundation of a New Rwanda.

Issued at Kigali, 3rd June 2010

Frank HABINEZA,
Founding President, Democratic Green Party of Rwanda

posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 1:04 AM