PruPaxIn the open letter to president Paul Kagame, the chairwoman and founder of PAX – Peace for the Great Lakes, she request the Rwandan president to stop harassing her brother in Rwanda.

Prudentienne who is a genocide survivor has been campaigning for forgiveness and reconciliation among Rwandans. She has appeared on various Radio programmes sharing her experiences during the genocide about how she escaped Hutu extremists who were hunting her in order to kill her  and how her mother was killed by RPF army which is has become the current Rwandan Defence Force.

Read more her open letter to Kagame below.

PAX IS DEDICATED TO HELPING TO END: THE CULTURE OF HATE THROUGH FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION

Pax-Peace for the African Great Lakes – http://www.paxforafricangreatlakes.org
Email: info@paxforafricangreatlakes.org or pseward9@googlemail.com

Kent, England. 2
nd
May 2014,
To His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda

In a recent interview with the BBC African Great Lakes Radio Kinyarwanda programme
(Imvo n’Imvano on Saturday 19th
April 2014) I spoke about my personal experience during
the 1994 genocide against Tutsis and expressed my view of how full reconciliation and
forgiveness for all Rwandans could be achieved.
Following this interview, I received several telephone calls from various friends in Rwanda
informing me that my interview with the BBC has resulted in my brother, Mr Alexis
Urayeneza and his family being harassed and threatened with arrest if I do not stop
speaking out publicly and campaigning on these issues.
In a public meeting held by General Fred Ibingira in Gisagara district on 22nd
April, it was
pointed out to my brother that anyone catching him communicating with me again should let
the government know as soon as possible. Since that meeting I have been trying to contact
my brother but he is not answering to my calls.
Mr President, these threats are encouraging hatred and fear amongst the population whose
past experiences have already been a combination of oppression, massacre and genocide.
Targeting individuals such as my brother who has nothing to do with what I do here in the
UK will never help Rwandans to live in harmony. This is not the first time he has been
intimidated by your government due to my reconciliation and forgiveness activities.
I have always expressed through my letters to you and the UK Rwanda High Commission,
how much I admire what your government has achieved after the war and the genocide and
I am sure you are capable of doing more to achieve peace and stability for all Rwandans.
However, it is unfortunate that when my organisation invites the representatives of the UK
High Commission to attend our activities they do not do so, but instead disturb and harass
myself and my organisation and supporters. (I can provide evidence for this claim.)
Despite our differences we would like to work closely with the Rwanda UK High Commission
and your government to achieve true forgiveness and reconciliation among Rwandans as we
believe this will be the best future for the new Rwandan generation. Therefore we would
welcome any peaceful comments and suggestions of how we can work together. In the
meantime I would like to express my sincere apologies if your government has been upset
by my interview. What I talked about was my personal experience during the genocide and
was not intended to be critical of others. I lost most of my family members including my
mother and my sister. This is my personal experience of my life and I feel I must talk about it.
Despite such tragic experiences, like some other Rwandans, I have come to the conclusion
that forgiving those who killed my family is the right thing to do and I am dedicated to
working alongside other Rwandans to achieve lasting peace and stability in Rwanda.
Through my organisation PAX, I have continued encouraging other
Rwandans to participate in our reconciliation and forgiveness activities and I encourage you
to do the same. PAX IS DEDICATED TO HELPING TO END: THE CULTURE OF HATE THROUGH FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION

Pax-Peace for the African Great Lakes – http://www.paxforafricangreatlakes.org
Email: info@paxforafricangreatlakes.org or pseward9@googlemail.com

Finally, Mr President, I would like to ask you to ensure the protection of my brother and his
family from harassment and threats but also I feel I must and will continue to work for peace
and human rights for all.
Yours sincerely,

Prudentienne Seward (Founder and Chairperson), PAX
Cc:
His Excellency William Nkurunziza (The Rwanda High Commissioner to the UK)
The Rt. Hon. David Cameron, (The UK Prime Minister)
The Rt.Hon. Edward Millband (The Leader of Labour Party, MP, UK)
The Rt.Hon. Sir John Stanley (MP, UK)
His Excellency President Barack Obama, (The President of United State of America)
Her Excellency Angela Michele, (The Chancellor of Germany)
His Excellency François Holland, (The President of France)
Honourable Dr Nkosana Dlamini Zuma (The Chairperson of African Union)
Honourable Ban Ki-Moon (The General Secretary of United Nations)
Honourable Lady Catherine Ashton (The High Representative of the Union for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy, EU.)
His Holiness Pope Francis (Roman Catholic, Vatican)
The Most Revereland and Right Honourable Justin Welby (Archbishop of Canterbury)
Amnesty International, UK
Human Rights Watch, UK

Open Letter to President Kagame – from Prudentienne Seward