The Great Lakes Human Rights Link is deeply concerned for the continued murders of the Rwandan police under the cover of Self defense. Yesterday in the Rwandan main Tax Park Nyabugongo a police officer killed an innocent person. The murderer was quickly defended by the Police Spokesperson, Supt Mbabazi Modeste “yagiranye na Umuseke, yavuze ko uwarashwe ari Niyomugabo Vedaste alias Nyinya wanabaye umusirikare mu ngabo za RDF, akaba nyuma yo kuva mu gisirikare akaba yari umuzunguzaji”

rwanda police

Gasana Rurayi briefing the police

Does this imply that the Police was trained to shoot to kill?  Or save life and keep law and order? While it’s true a police officer can defend himself or herself, shooting and killing should be the last resort. The dead cannot talk to tell his own story why should the Police Spokesperson jump to the conclusion that the deed was trying to disarm the police officer?

We are deeply disturbed by the Police’s utterances without though investigations in the circumstances that led for the police officer to abuse the use of force. Never should the police officer shoot if he can use other means to arrest a person. Details are coming out that deceased was a veteran of RDF.  This brings suspicion that he might have been killed in the stage killings we know and have been witnessing in Rwanda.

The above murder follows another one in Kigali City near Bank of Kigali where they used to call “kwi Posta”. Where there is a building of one the Rwanda tycoons, Mr Makuza Rwanda Form. The same scenario was played that the deceased was trying to disarm the police officer.

The Rwanda Head of State publicly said that those suspected of destabilizing the peace will be shot in broad day light. This was on the 5th June 2014.  We have also witnessed the disappearance of people and dead bodies in River Akagera ending up in Lake Rweru in Burundi.  As a human rights watch dog, we are seriously concerned that, this might be a new tactic of extra judicial killing of innocent people by the Kagame regime.

We therefore call upon independent investigations in the brutal behavior of the Rwandan Police and this Policy of shoot to kill. The police should keep law and order, it should be a force for the people not a force that brutalizes the people. They should be investigated and prosecuted for the murder for the disproportionate use of force.

We call upon more clarification on this matter and more murders that the Rwandan Police have been carrying out. Otherwise the Rwandan Police will soon lose the trust of the people in the same way other institutions like judiciary have lost trust because people are convicted before they go to the court.

We doubt that the Police will carry out investigations against itself; we need an independent inquiry in this matter as soon as possible.

Joseph Ruhumuriza

Senior Researcher Great Lakes Human Rights Link.

http://www.greatlakeshumanrightslink.com/rwanda-police-from-service-to-a-killing-force-they-should-be-held-accountable/