On the 8th this Month in the Ugandan news paper The Monitor Mr Asuman Bisika wrote an article defending the Rwandan regime but more specifically the Rwandan Head of State Paul Kagame. “In defense of Rwanda’s political freedoms and human rights”. While Mr Asuman Bisika is entitled to his opinion, he should at least not defend an indefencible regime that to the eyes of many has already crossed a red line in terms of freedoms and human rights.

He argues that the Rwandan constitution guarantees the right of assembly and association, which in theory the supreme law of the land has managed to put in graphics, however the exercise of this right has remained a dream and just a tool for the regime in Kigali to solicit money from the donor countries to pay for propagandists like Mr Asuman and other people like him to advance the desires and lies of the RPF Regime.

Paradoxically, Mr. Asuman fails to highlight on many occasions when peaceful assemblies which are not organized or supervised by the state are brutally suppressed or are just killed at infancy before they are even born. The RPF regime has infiltrated all areas of business or just call it a police state like that one in the North Korea under the KIM dynasty.

Where on Earth have the Journalists been killed like in Rwanda? Mr Asuman might be fanatically or ideologically trying to convince the readers of the Monitor News Paper that Rwanda is normal and is like other States in the region.  He goes further comparing the freedom of assembly to that of Tanzania. What a lie and indifferent or may be greed to catch the glimpse of Kigali so that he can be one of the recipients of the big wallet of RPF regime.

Where in the East African nation journalists are killed or kidnapped for reporting a story that does not please the regime? Why can’t Mr Bisika look at the Monitor in which he wrote his story, this news paper has enjoyed independence and freedoms of reporting in which it has been taken to court and worn the case against the State. Does this happen in the Kagame regime?  Just to remind Mr Bisika that Mr. Leonard Rugambajye the Editor of Umuvugizi was gunned down in Kigali just because he was investigating the attempted murder of the Rwandan former Army Chief Gen Kayumaba Nyamwasa.

The Editor of online news (Inyenyeri) was gunned down in Kampala and the Rwandan Head of State said that Ingabire Charles was a criminal who escaped justice in Rwanda. According to Kagame and may be his defender  Mr Bisika any person who disagrees with the Kigali regime is a  criminal and should be gunned down without the due legal process.  Where does this analogy of Mr Bisika leave the Constitution where he is drawing his legal wisdom? If it believes as the general principle the presumption of innocence!

Does he imply that Kagame is the law and the law is Kagame? Mr Bisika knows very well the fate of his colleagues who reported independently in different news papers in the country, the news papers were closed or their editors forced to flee the country. Does Mr Bisika remember Umuseso, Umusingi Umuvugizi and Umurabyo? Where are the editors of these news papers? Can he give us the list of journalists who have been killed or papers closed in comparison in the sister states as he wants the people to believe?

While he seems to admit that the Kigali regime is committing atrocities against her own people, he justifies it in comparison to other states on the African Continent. “But we have heard and seen all that on the African continent, even as nearer home as in our fair East African Community. So we ask why the obsession with Rwanda when most African countries are not different from Rwanda in the area of political freedoms”

Although Mr. Bisika is no near to the correct comparison, but lets buy his reasoning, does he mean that two wrongs make a right? If the neighbor beats his wife, so should the other neighbor emulate him and hit his wife?  Paradoxically he does not mention many politicians who have been murdered just simply for having different direction in politics. The likes of the former President Pasteur Bizimungu who is now politically impotent after incarceration when he formed his political party Ubuyanja.  Former Interior Minsiter Seth Sendashonga was killed in Kenya, Col. Theoneste Lizinde, and Col.   Kizza , Asiel Kabera, Col. Rutayisire, Maj. Ruzindana,  just to mention a few, what does Mr. Bisika call this? He mentions about Mr Sibomana Sylvain the way he was picked from the Supreme Court, does he know how he was taken like a thief kicking  and hitting him,  he should go and visit this man , he was not only injured as he says , this man lost his teeth.

It is unfortunate that some journalists are committing the same mistakes for the reasons I’m not sure of, but my guess might be as yours, that money and other inducements have traded with the basics, ethics of the journalism profession. It is therefore not surprising to see people like Bisika are no different from some journalists during genocide who were employed or just paid a lump sum of money in exchange for their professionalism, history will judge them harshly.

Jacqueline Umurungi

Brussels