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RWANDA YOUTH FOR LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE INITIATIVE (RY4LCI)
KIGALI - RWANDA
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.impinduka.com
To: MR. MAINA KIAI
The UN Special Rapporteur On The Rights To Freedom Of
Peaceful Assembly and Of Association.
Palais Des Nations
CH – 1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
4th October 2014
Dear Mr. Special Rapporteur,
RE: A CALL FOR INTERVENTION TO RELEASE PETITIONERS OF 17
SPETEMBER 2013 AND ASK OHCHR TO CONDUCT IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION
ON ONGOING GENOCIDE IN RWANDA
We are writing to you to express our deepest concern about the horrendous human rights
violations and ongoing genocide against Hutus in Rwanda for over two decades and perpetrated
by the RPF( Rwanda Patriotic Front) regime led by President Paul Kagame. Since the last year
2013 what was a slow clandestine systematic massacres against Hutus has become blindingly
intense and motivated massacres after the speech of President of Tanzania in African Union
Summit held in May 2013 Addis-Ababa and he urged the Great Lakes countries including
Rwanda to have talks with their opponents in order to bring the long lasting peace and eradicate
the seemed endless wars and human rights violations horrors in the Great Lakes Region. That
wasn’t welcomed by Rwandan regime as a positive solution for regional pacification but as a
threat to the serial human rights violators of Rwandan regime led by President Kagame Paul,
hence brutally and publicly pledged to kill more Rwandan people supporting peace, equal rights
and freedom in Rwanda as well as in the region.
Mr. Special Rapporteur as mentioned in your report released in June 2014, on its 24th point you
highlighted the 40 petitioners arrested and imprisoned on 17th September 2013 including more
than 20 students who petitioned the government of Rwanda through its Prime Ministry claiming
equal opportunities among Rwandan students. You said: “In September 2013, at least 20
students were arrested after they had presented a petition to the Prime Minister protesting the
reduction of state loans to students enrolled in the public universities. While most students were
later released without charges, four of them were charged with holding an illegal protest and
taken to court. The court, however, found them not guilty and ordered their release.”
RY4LCI wants to bring to your attention that although these petitioners were released without
charges and the other four petitioners delegates acquitted by the court, appallingly the RPF
regime wasn’t happy and surreptitiously started hunting down one by one among the petitioners;
some were abducted and taken to fight in the then M23 rebels, others disappeared, some were
forced to flee the country for fear of persecution, assassination and others including acquitted
were rearrested with additional trumped up charges against them and until now they are
languishing in Rwandan prisons
The latter case example is of Mr. Icyitonderwa Jean Baptiste who was rearrested on 5th
November 2013 and was among the four acquitted. On 21st March 2014, he was sentenced to 6
years for same trumped up charges acquitted of on 26th September 2013 (see the attachment of
acquittal statement). On 15 April 2014 he appealed the verdict in High Court and on 3rd June
2014 the High Court recognized the appeal but until now he was not given a date to appear in
High Court sitting. On 10th May 2014 he was transferred from Gasabo district prison of
Kimironko to Nsinda prison where he is languishing and, now he is in prison for 1 year and the
only crime he committed was to claim equal rights and opportunities among all Rwandan
students. (Refer to the attached RY4LCI Open letter addressed to President Paul Kagame written
in February 2014, demanding his immediate release and stop hunting down of other petitioners.
It is also available on our website http://www.impinduka.com/news/news/open-letter-topresident-of-rwanda ) Note that his court dossier number is RPA 0385/14/TGI/GS
Mr. Special Rapporteur, the petition organizers sensitized its motive in different Universities and
the petitioners of National University of Rwanda which was then Butare were stripped of their
list by RPF cadres (hooligans) at Butare campus. That list comprised around 100 students and as
it is Rwandans diet to be intimidated and harassed by RPF cadres they thought it was over but as
the RPF cadres everywhere are bloodthirsty they kept the petitioners striped list and started
trumping up charges against everyone and others were forcibly taken to M23 rebels to die from
there, and others disappeared clandestinely abducted. The example of the ones trumped up
charges against are students notably accused in the military state terror case of Lt. Joel Mutabazi
kidnapped in October 2013 from Uganda where he was under UNHCR and government of
Uganda’s intensive protection, and he was week sentenced to lifetime in prison in September
2014.
Mr. Special Rapporteur we recall you that while you were back in Rwanda in August 2014
invited by Rwandan regime to discuss about FoAA (Freedom of Assembly and Association) and
UPR (Universal Periodic Review) report, it was when more than 40 dead bodies were streaming
down from Akagera river in Rwanda into the lake Rweru on Burundi’s boarder where according
to preliminary Burundi investigations as well as BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and
RFI (Radio France International) showed that these dead bodies are Rwandan citizens according
to Rwandan and Burundian fishermen in lake Rweru questioned. Most of the bodies had been
wrapped in plastic bags with heavy stones attached on them and many of the victims’ hands and
feet were bound. These bodies came after a long time of massive disappearances of Rwandan
people, spate arsons of Rwanda prisons and Hutus prisoners incinerated there, broad daylight
shooting of Hutus allegedly accused to be linked to FDLR, imprisonment of demoted military
officials allegedly accused to support RPF regime opponents, the disappearance of 16,000 Hutus
people in Northern Province, disappearance of 30,000 Hutus prisoners sentenced to community
service, unknown number of Rwandan youth abducted and taken to fight in M23 rebels and died
there, etc…
Nearly or more than 50,000 Rwandan citizens surreptitiously disappeared in 1 year and Rwandan
regime acknowledged that indirectly saying that they may have gone in FDLR which is
absolutely impossible because these huge numbers of people can’t pass militarily secured
borders of both Rwanda and DR Congo and go in the forests of Congo without anyone’s
glimpse. The crucial signs of their deaths are that after they disappeared kidnapped, the massive
dead bodies were found everywhere in lakes, rivers and forests in Rwanda and Burundi.
Dear Mr. Special rapporteur RY4LCI want to let you know that according to well researched
information, we have learnt that there are pits dug in volcanoes National parks, Nyungwe and
Akagera parks where these bodies are buried and others incinerated. We have also learnt that all
the water of Rwanda; rivers and lakes are covered by dead bodies killed and dumped in there.
RPF regime is trying with all means to ban these dead bodies from floating down to neighboring
countries’ water because they may be discovered as it happened in Lake Rweru.
We can’t evade the issue of Rwandan Hutus refugees in DR Congo labeled as rebels and
genocidaires which is absolutely wrong because these Rwandan survivors of President Kagame’s
regime systematic massacres were demonized for long time and with the blessing of international
community they were hunted like evils while you know they are innocent civilians and if there
are some among them suspected to have committed any kind of human rights violations, they
must be brought to book instead of forsaking them to be prey of these serial killers and human
rights violators the world has ever had. As well as other Hutus refugees in Africa, UNHCR in
conspiracy with the notorious dictatorial regime of Kigali forsook these innocent civilians to be
perished by starvation, depression and despair so that they can return in Rwanda to be hung and
dumped in the rivers or lakes of Rwanda all done in the name of cessation clause.
In Rwanda whoever suspected to be related to these Hutus refugees or supporting the idea that
these refugees can’t be massacred, is regarded as a threat to RPF regime and is killed. We recall
you that all Rwandan are related in any way and if nothing is done to make the regime stop these
killings, it is a continuing failure of International Community especially individuals like you Mr.
Special Rapporteur who are in the position to advocate for the humankind perishing. At the end
not only UN is to blame as an institution but also individuals who were in charge to live
shameful for their silence over such human race at stake.
Mr. Special Rapporteur ignoring President Kagame’s regime hunting down of Human Rights
activists and political dissidents in Rwanda as well as worldwide is the cowardice of
international community to stand and defend the values and dignity of the human being at stake.
On 29th August 2014 the South African verdict on attempt murder of Rwanda former army chief
of Staff and Ambassador Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa convicted 4 men, and the magistrate stated
that the assassination attempt was politically motivated and emanated from a certain group of
people from Rwanda.
At the New Year’s Eve of 2014, the former chief of external intelligence and dissident of
Rwandan regime Col. Patrick Karegeya was murdered in South Africa and preliminary
investigative news proves that Rwandan regime was behind that assassination. Many ordinary
Rwandan dissidents, human rights activists and political dissidents are hunt and murdered if not
incarcerated both inside Rwanda and abroad.
Forgetting the iconic of freedom and peace, Madam Victoire Ingabire now languishing in Kigali
central prison is idly hurting the sense and humor of what democracy, freedom and human
dignity are because this woman is a non-violent, a peacemaker, a freedom fighter and a
reconciler of Rwandans. The international community letting her languish in prison is to
contribute in long severe suffering of Rwandans under the notorious super dictator and criminal
President Paul Kagame. This lady’s family is currently under harassment, distress and harmful in
Netherlands where RPF regime in its systematic massacres and hunting down of Hutus in its
lobbying to demonize all Hutus wants the Netherland government to deprive her husband’s
citizenship and extradite him in Rwanda.
The regime of Kigali is more divisive and apart of systematic extermination of Hutus; there is an
ongoing Apartheid against Hutus; whether the rule of law, the constitution and the judiciary
system all curb Hutus in the entire life of nation and even their descendants in the future. The
regime is there to favor Tutsis only and even in all speeches when President Paul Kagame says
“our people” he means “Tutsis” not all Rwandans as whole. For your research listen to all his
speeches whether national or international speeches you will notice that everywhere. This is very
absurd for a President who is supposed to be there for all citizens and treat them equally!
Mr. Special Rapporteur, RY4LCI calls upon your office and the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to exert the following:
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To strongly and unreservedly condemn the Rwandan regime for its actions of crimes
against humanity and human rights violations.
-
To pressurize Rwandan regime to stop its criminal acts against the people it is supposed
to protect.
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To call for UN Security council to set up a UN investigative team over the ongoing
genocide against Hutus and assassinations of Rwandan dissidents.
-
To call for unconditional and immediate release of Rwanda opposition politicians and
human rights activists.
-
To pressurize Rwanda to unconditionally and immediately release the Petitioners of 17th
September 2013 notably Mr. Icyitonderwa Jean Baptiste and all university students
allegedly accused in state terror case of Lt. Joel MUTABAZI.
-
To condemn the abduction, extradition of refugees and breach of the international human
rights covenants protecting refugees (Case example of Lt. Joel MUTABAZI).
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To urge RPF regime to stop kidnapping and assassinating its citizens whose views are
different from them, instead embrace the peaceful talks with all its dissidents in order to
reestablish peace and freedom in Rwanda.
-
To call for UN Security Council to stop its plan acts to shoot on Rwandan refugees in
Democratic Republic of Congo by orchestrating them as rebels against regional
pacification.
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To call for UN Security Council to revise the case of Rwandan refugees worldwide and
take care of them.
-
To call for UN Security Council to brief the neighboring countries with Rwanda to be
ready to receive refugees currently fleeing Rwandan RPF regime killings and set up all
facilities to receive those refugees.
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To call for UN Security Council to set up a specific UN Criminal Court for Rwanda and
DR Congo in order to bring to book RPF Regime perpetrators and all its allies in war
crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide happened since 1990 up to now.
Mr. Special Rapporteur we hope that during the UPR (Universal Periodic Review) report of 2015
you will intolerably condemn these human rights violations and crimes against humanity saga by
RPF Rwandan regime.
Rwandan regime is led by barbaric and ruthless criminals who never care any citizens’ rights but
oppressing and killing them in any way. They don’t fear International Community not because it
is useless but because some individuals in making decisions positions were corrupted either by
these criminals or conspired in these Great Lakes saga and keep silence. Please let’s break the
silence and change the things because it is possible.
Mr. Special Rapporteur we thank you for considering our calls and we ensure you our
cooperation and partnership in this struggle to freedom and human rights defense in Rwanda as
well as in Great lakes Region.
For Rwanda Youth for Leadership and Change Initiative (RY4LCI)
Founder and Executive Director of RY4LCI, and Co-organizer of petition of 17th
September 2013
Cc:
Mr. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein
The High Commissioner
UN Human Rights
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon
The Secretary-General
United Nations
New York, N.Y. 10017 U.S.A
Attachments:
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Open letter to President of Rwanda demanding immediate release of Mr. Icyitonderwa
Jean Baptiste and stop hunting down of petitioners of 17th September 2013
The Gasabo court acquittal statement of petitioners of 17th September 2013 delegates of
26th September 2013.