Rwanda: Claim of suicide attempt in Rwanda is disputed

A source close to William Mitchell law Prof. Peter Erlinder said poor conditions in his cell might have triggered an illness.

By RANDY FURST, KEVIN DIAZ and PAUL WALSH
Star Tribune staff writers
June 2, 2010

The overseas ordeal of Peter Erlinder took another bizarre turn on Wednesday when Rwandan police claimed that the St. Paul law professor attempted suicide in his jail cell and made a confession, while a source close to Erlinder in Rwanda said it was not true.

"It is complete poppycock," said the source in a telephone interview from Rwanda.

Erlinder was arrested Friday on allegations that he has denied the 1994 Rwanda genocide. He had traveled to the African nation to represent opposition presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who herself has been charged with promoting "genocide ideology."

The fast-changing developments on Wednesday had colleagues and relatives in the United States shaking their heads and arguing that Rwandan authorities were lying in an attempt to railroad Erlinder.

His daughter, Arizona attorney Sarah Erlinder, said the family does not believe her father tried to take his life. "I have no idea what the truth is," she said, moments after meeting Washington staffers of Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., who have tried to contact the Rwandan Embassy in the United States. "Knowing him, none of us believe that he would try to kill himself. It's not him."

Gena Berglund, Erlinder's legal assistant, said Erlinder has never been suicidal. "He is a very strong, optimistic person," she said.

Sarah Erlinder said her father, a professor at William Mitchell College of Law, carried medication for high-blood pressure and cholesterol, but that it may have been running low. Asked if he might have taken a non-lethal overdose to get out of jail and into medical treatment, she said, "It's definitely possible ... but we just don't have any good information."

Whatever happened, she said, the incident "makes us more concerned for his safety. It seems to be getting more critical by the day."