To The President of the United States of America and Members of Congress,

In some countries, such as Russia, Iran, Syria Libya and Zimbabwe, the Obama Administration has vigorously promoted the cause of human rights and spoke out forthrightly when violations occurred. In other countries, such as Rwanda, the Administration squandered its extensive opportunities to promote human rights by denying that violations occurred, or simply said that Rwanda has made a tremendous economic development, national human rights organizations that could tell a different story are not fully supported by the Obama Administration.

Obama

One theme which emerges from our analysis of human rights policies in Rwanda is that the Obama Administration has a too narrow view of democracy, and has missed opportunities to support and protect the rule of law and those civilian institutions which are required for real democracy to flourish: an independent judiciary, a free press, functioning trade unions, opposition political parties.

Indeed, Rwanda provides a striking illustration of this approach: since it took office in 1994 after Genocide against the Tutsis, the RPF government committed gross abuses of human rights, and failed to prosecute its armed forces. Even after Genocide, the RPF   Security forces have continued massive human rights atrocities inside Rwanda and neighboring Congo.

According to the UN Mapping report Six million people have been killed in Congo by the RPF Security forces. We have evidence that electoral process in Rwanda is conducted in violation of all laws; it is flawed and lacks all the international standards. Despite all the above flaws within the electro process, the RPF government is now campaigning for the amendment of the Rwanda constitution so that Kagame could stand again after 2017 when his constitutional mandate expires.

The RPF  administration’s failure to denounce the sham campaigns  for the removal of Term Limits, and its refusal to publicly call upon those agitating for the removal of Term Limits have been a great disservice to the future of democracy in our country.

Another regrettable feature of the Obama Administration policy has been its failure to demand explanations from the Rwanda government for attacks on persons or institutions with which it disagrees, or with whom its allies disagree. For example, in the New Eve of 2014 Patrick Karegeya the former Spy Chief of President Kagame was strangled in a posh hotel in South Africa.  Opposition Politicians like Bernard Ntaganda, Victore Ingabire, Deo Mushayid  , Sylvain Sibomana, Gen. Frank Rusagara, Col. Tom Byabagamba just to mention a few were sentenced  from ten years  to life  imprisonment because they opposed Kagame’e brutal rule and undemocratic polices.

The Draconian sentences for the peaceful expression of a political view-albeit one with which neither the U.S. nor the government of Rwanda agrees-is a tremendous setback for human rights in Rwanda, and deserved to be condemned. To our knowledge, the Obama Administration has been silent or not doing enough to condemn the continued suppression dissent in Rwanda.

We urge the Congress to initiate several strong resolutions against the RPF Administration so that the Obama Administration could modify its protective stance towards the RPF and speak more frankly about abuses in Rwanda.

In light of the above Human Rights Abuses in Rwanda, the Great Lakes Human Rights Link is requesting that the U.S. Congress hold hearings on Rwanda Human Rights Abuses and US Government continued support of the Rwandan government despite all these human rights abuses. In particular, we are concerned with the continuing campaighn on the removal of Term Limits in the Rwandan Constitution so that President Kagame could stand again after his mandate expires in 2017. The continued restriction of other independent political parties, freedom of speech, independent Media, the closure of the BBC will fundamentally undermine the achievements of the RPF government which the West and American Administration cherish.

In view of the above violations of the basic fundamental human rights and the US policy toward RPF regime, we reiterate our request for Congressional hearings on this matter.

Sincerely,

Noble Marara

Secretary General Great Lakes Human Rights Link (GLHRL)