During the Parliamentary business session 2014-15 of 06 -11- 2014, Member of Parliament Joyce Eric tabled an early day motion 489 titled: ‘BBC AND RWANDA’. The motion purported that the BBC2 documentary entitled ‘This World – Rwanda’s untold story’ is tantamount to genocide denial.  As Rwandans, we have watched the documentary several times, the documentary does not in any way deny the Rwandan genocide.

The onus of  the accuracy of  the numbers  of those who died in Genocide is entirely a responsibility  of  an Independent inquiry  and  will remain a subject of debate. What the BBC did was to highlight the view of the scholars who have researched extensively on the Rwandan genocide. The documentary catalogued the role of Hutu extremist in the genocide and the Rwandan government is happy with that part. What annoyed the government of Rwanda is the fact that the documentary also exposed the excesses  of war crimes committed by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) during the genocide. This is true reflection of what happened and all Rwandans know it. BBC simply exposed what Rwandans are ‘forbidden’ to say.

 

Some interviewees indicated that the country’s President  had a hand in shooting down his predecessor’s plane, a crash that triggered genocide and the mass killings, and that President Paul Kagame was more interested in taking over power than stopping the genocide. On BBC Hard Talk program in 2007 President Paul Kagame was confronted with his responsibility in the assassination of his predecessor. His response was – ‘I do not care, I do not give a damn’. During the genocide, General Dallaire in his book – Shake Hands with the Devil’ said he raised the possibility of calling for an intervention force, Paul Kagame reacted – ‘If an intervention force is sent to Rwanda, we will fight it pg.342. If the Tutsi have to be killed for the cause, they will be considered as having been part of the sacrifice’ pg.258. The government of Rwanda does not call Gen Dallaire a genocide denier! Why do they call BBC genocide denier when they say the same? It is therefore disingenuous for Hon Joyce Eric to sponsor a motion calling for an apology to the Rwandan President Paul Kagame for lies, generalizations, false accusations, innuendos and wild allegations. President Paul Kagame subtly admitted responsibility for the assassination of his predecessor (on BBC Hard Talk) and conceded to the UN commander that his interest was to obtain power.

 

The government of Rwanda has used the genocide law to close space for political participation, shut down media outlets that are critical of the government. There are draconian restrictions and attacks against journalists, civil society organizations cannot exercise their role as watchdogs over government. Any political leader or civil society organisation who calls for political dialogue is accused of genocide denial, minimization, divisionism, defamation of the President, threatening national security. It would be an unfortunate precedent for the Honourable British Parliament to succumb to the whims of Rwandan powerful lobbies to endorse the silencing of BBC broad casts in Rwanda. The British Parliament ought to know that they run the risk of legitimizing draconian media laws experienced by local media houses and extending the same laws on the BBC. It must further be noted that the government of Rwanda has already closed the BBC Great Lakes Region Service, yet the documentary was broadcast by BBC2. The target is therefore not the documentary per se, but BBC in general.

 

 

President Kagame relies on severe repression to stay in power. All genuine opposition leaders have been arrested, others killed or forced into exile. Institutions of the state continue to subject real and imagined critics of the government to a wide range of human rights violations including arbitrary arrests, detentions, involuntary disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Rwanda has since 2003 experienced election rigging where the current President allocated himself 95% in 2003 and 93% in 2010 respectively. During and after Presidential Elections who ever challenged the obvious flawed outcome was accused of genocide denial, revisionism, incitement, or hatred. State institutions, especially law enforcement agencies, and security services, do not serve to protect the fundamental human rights of citizens. This trend of affairs has resulted in horrendous consequences for innocent civilians both inside and outside Rwanda.

 

 

With due respect to Honourable Joyce Eric, it is common knowledge that he co –signed a petition with Andrew Wallis the Author of ‘Silent Accomplice: The Untold Story of the Role of France in the Rwandan Genocide’, I.B. Taris, 2014. The book is deliberately spiteful against the French, designed to fight diplomatic spat between Rwanda and France, but more so, to exonerate President Paul Kagame against human rights violations. The Second personality is Richard Johnson, the author of ‘The Traversy of Human Rights Watch on Rwanda’.  It must be noted that just like the BBC, Human Rights Watch is under similar pressure from lobbyists working on behalf of the Rwandan government. In demanding that BBC should apologize to President Paul Kagame (whose human rights violation record is well documented) the question is, whether Hon Joyce Eric is motivated by moral and social justice considerations, or whether he is influenced by other ulterior motives.

 

Consequences of Hon Joy Eric’s motion:

 

  1. Rwanda is progressively maturing into a full totalitarian state. President Paul Kagame is preparing to change the constitution to unlimitedly stand for Presidential elections (3rdterm) beyond the stipulated two terms. Domestic critical media is already muzzled.  What the British Parliament is likely to achieve is to embroiden a vicious dictator and give him a free hand to influence and control BBC broad casts in Rwanda and in the region. He is trying to become a champion of African dictators who detest the BBC. This will open an avalanche of other complaints from other dictators against the BBC.

 

  1. The government of Rwanda has constantly and persistently strove to silence human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, Reporters without borders and Amnesty International. If the British Parliament capitulates to the Rwandan pressure against the BBC, it will be difficult for other organisations critical of governance in Rwanda to survive the onslaught from the government of Rwanda.

 

 

  1. The Rwandan opposition parties cannot articulate alternative democratic views in Rwanda. They have mainly relied on foreign independent media outlets including Voice of America, Al Jazzera, BBC etc. Joyce Eric’s  motion will open floodgates to harass all these media outlets and deny the Rwandan people any avenue to express alternative political views.

 

  1. The Crimes of genocide denial, genocide revision, minimization of genocide, abusing the person of the President are standard crimes levelled against all political opponents of President Paul Kagame. The motion sponsored by Honourable Joyce Eric has the potential of legitimizing all the accusations against all political leaders who have been unfairly imprisoned.

 

 

  1. President Paul Kagame has got away with Aggression in DRC and assassinations of political opponents.  It is widely believed that he is  sanitized by the British government who have continued to subsidize his budget to commit these heinous acts. The shelving of the United Nations group of experts 2010 Mapping Report in DRC, exposing aggression and destabilization of DRC, Killings and plunder in that country akin to what Russia is doing in Ukraine was disappointing. Recently, Rwandans disappeared and some bodies were discovered in Lake Rweru emanating from River Akagera flowing from Rwanda. The British Parliament whose government bankrolls Rwanda on condition of adhering to human rights standards, should rather be calling for an investigation of this blatant human rights violation instead of helping President Paul Kagame to harass the BBC.

 

  1. Rwandans can only gain from the BBC- ‘Untold Story’ by starting a dialogue that would genuinely trigger a national reconciliation and forgiveness. On the contrary, what the British Parliament motion will achieve is to confirm and cement the narrative of the victor. We must bear in mind that the Tutsi will not be in power for ever. Truth telling and reconciliation is now and cannot wait. It is not acceptable that every victor who comes to power should imposes his/her own narrative

 

  1. Discussing what took place before, during and after the genocide is not tantamount to genocide denial and whatever is discussed must not necessarily be in favour of President Paul Kagame. History will not judge the British Parliament kindly by appeasing and perpetuating a vicious regime in Rwanda while silencing the BBC.