Rwandan military ‘tortured’ civilians
Kigali – Amnesty International on Monday accused Rwandan military intelligence services of engaging in torture, unlawful detention and enforced disappearances of civilians.
The human rights group said in a report members of a Rwandan military intelligence department, known as J2, had tortured civilians with electric shocks, beatings and sensory deprivation to force confessions.
J2 also held civilians in military detention without charge or trial for months on end, Amnesty said.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Justice said on Sunday that while some illegal detentions had taken place, these abuses were handled by the courts.
“These occurred as a result of over-exuberance on the part of individuals within the security services and were dealt with through the courts which immediately put in place corrective measures,” the statement said.
Rwanda did not directly address the allegations of torture detailed in Amnesty’s report, but the ministry said reports of torture are “investigated through established channels and are treated with the utmost seriousness”.
Grenade attacks
Last month a report by Human Rights Watch said Rwanda has been supporting a rebellion in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where the M23 rebels have committed widespread war crimes, including dozens of rapes and killings.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied involvement with M23 but many Western donors have suspended aid after a United Nations report concluded Rwandan officials were supplying the rebels with weapons and logistics.
Amnesty also called for donors to suspend funding for Rwanda’s security forces.
Between March 2010 and June 2012, Amnesty said it documented 45 cases of unlawful detention and 18 allegations of torture or ill-treatment at a military camp and in safe houses in Kigali.
Many men interviewed by Amnesty said they were rounded up after grenade attacks in Kigali in March 2010 and in the run-up to the presidential elections in August 2010, a poll which the incumbent president Paul Kagame won with 93% of the vote.
Many of those detained were later charged with threatening national security.
Source: Reuters
To read the full report from Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR47/004/2012/en/ca2e51a2-1c3f-4bb4-b7b9-e44ccbb2b8de/afr470042012en.pdf
Just imagine minister of justice admitting the torturing
Of J2 to his own people, the lawfulness RPF fought for.
This man should resign his post, how could a trained lawyer
Of his cariber allow such cases to happen? Sometime we
Should stop blaming president Kagame coz is not aware
About his trusted men’s work. You can’t imagine as old
As mr minister is to fail to bring real justice to a small country
Of 11 millions only. A country where the government speak
And people listen attentively. I have been saying this that however
Much I do praise RDF, it has a terrible department of Interigence
Where people who works their are not trained at all just still
Using a rule of jungle. This is the fear people have. We can vote for
You and then your same government continue to hunt us like
Animals. Am sure president Kagame is not informed in such cases but
That’s his failings to govern. He should know that is working with
Wrong people and that has brought people trust down to current
Regime no matter all the developments registered.
Dont blame minister, torturing is institutionalised by president Kagame!
Ministers dont say what they belive in they just tell what the boss tells them to and they have to or else no bread and no life or no rigth to be in their home land.
Unless u want him to run out of the country and its posible because what was scaring most is over I think he can blave it now!
Ask J2 why they torture? ask Kagame will tell u why he rules on terror!
Enough is enough!! Kagame must go or we take up arms!
Kagame is becoming a madman,ni gute watera grenades mu mujyi warangiza ugafata abantu b’inzirakarengane ukabafunga ukabakubitisha umuriro kandi ubizi neza ko ataribyo! Nonese kayumba ko yateye grenade yabujijwe n’iki kuzitera kuma hotels akomeye i kigali? Banyarwanda mushyire mu gaciro kuko intwaro ya mbere ya kagame ni ikinyoma ibindi biza nyuma burya turamuzi, mu magambo 10 avuze 9 aba ari ikinyoma