Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

A Citizen’s Rwanda: A Weekly Open Letter to Paul Kagame-June 27, 2010

By Aimable Mugara
Rwanda Human Rights and Democracy
June 27, 2010


H. E. General Paul Kagame
Office of the President
Republic of Rwanda
P.O. Box 15 Urugwiro Village
Kigali – Rwanda
Fax: +250 572431


Copy:

Prosecutor General
Martin Ngoga
National Public Prosecution Authority
BP 1328
Kigali – Rwanda
Fax: +250 589501


Commissioner General Emmanuel Gasana
Rwandan National Police
Kigali – Rwanda
Fax: +250 586602

Chief Executive Officer
Editor-in-Chief
The New Times Publications SARL
Immeuble Aigle Blanc
P.O. Box 4953
Kigali – Rwanda



A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to General Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

Dear General,

There are 7 weeks left before the elections. This is my fifteenth letter and there are 7 letters left. This week the events taking place in our nation continue to prove that what had been marketed as a rebirth of our nation is nothing more than a violent tyranny where those who dare oppose you do so at great risk to their lives. On Thursday June 24, we received news that a Rwandan journalist, Mr. Jean Leonard Rugambage, the acting editor for Umuvugizi Newspaper had been killed outside his home in the Rwandan capital city. On the same day, we found out that opposition protestors who were peacefully protesting against the sham presidential elections being organized by the National Electoral Commission were all rounded up by the police and some of them are undergoing torture.

I find it such a coincidence that the journalist who was killed, Mr. Rugambage happened to belong to the Umuvugizi newspaper which was recently banned by your authorities. Another coincidence is that on the day he was killed, he had published a story on the newspaper’s web site saying that he had evidence that the recent assassination attempt in South Africa against former Army Chief General Kayumba Nyamwasa was orchestrated by your Chief of Intelligence. The paper’s Editor, Mr. Jean Bosco Gasasira, who fled to Uganda in April fearing for his life has no doubt about who killed his Acting Editor. He told Voice of America that “I’m 100% sure it was the office of the national security services which shot him dead.”

This is a very troubling development even in a country like Rwanda known for its lack of freedom. This idea that independent journalists should be silenced by banning their newspapers from circulation and then if they insist on publishing on the Internet they get killed, this is indeed deplorable. This is why organizations that advocate for freedom of the press, such as Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres) have come out strongly against this despicable act.

As for the arrest of opposition protesters who were peacefully protesting against the exclusion of their political parties from the electoral process, let me first say how happy I am that for the first time in 16 years, there have been public protests in Rwanda against the government. For 16 years, people were scared into silence. For 16 years, people felt that protesting against the government would put their life at risk and for no reason because there is no hope for change. For 16 years, your government was able to claim that no one disagrees because no one was speaking out publicly. Today, this is no more. Today in the streets of Rwanda there are some brave souls who are putting their lives at risk by peacefully protesting, by peacefully asking for their rights as human beings. Today, the winds of democracy are starting to blow in Rwanda.

Unfortunately, your police forces responded brutally by arresting 2 out of 3 opposition leaders: the Democratic Green Party Leader Mr. Frank HABINEZA, and the founding president of PS Imberakuri party Maitre Bernard NTAGANDA. Mr. Frank Habineza appears to have been freed after a few hours of questioning, but Maitre Bernard NTAGANDA remains in custody together with dozens of opposition party members from the 3 parties.

Mr. President, your regime’s violent attacks against opposition parties only show one thing: you are not confident about your support among the people. Why else would you prevent real challengers from having their names on the ballot? Why else would you violently crack down on the opposition parties instead of letting the people of Rwanda deliver the verdict at the ballot? There is only one explanation: the people of Rwanda do not want to be led by you or your party. Therefore, unfortunately it appears that the only way for you to stay in power is by oppressing the people.

Aimable Mugara
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 12:40 AM