Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch



Welcome to
Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch Blog. Our objective is to promote the institutions of democracy,social justice,Human Rights,Peace, Freedom of Expression, and Respect to humanity in Rwanda,Uganda,DR Congo, Burundi,Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya,Ethiopia, and Somalia. We strongly believe that Africa will develop if only our presidents stop being rulers of men and become leaders of citizens. We support Breaking the Silence Campaign for DR Congo since we believe the democracy in Rwanda means peace in DRC. Follow this link to learn more about the origin of the war in both Rwanda and DR Congo:http://www.rwandadocumentsproject.net/gsdl/cgi-bin/library


Showing posts with label Agnes Uwimana Nkusi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Agnes Uwimana Nkusi. Show all posts

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Saturday, June 25, 2011

RWANDA:Coalition of Rwandan Community Associations in UK


23rdJune 2011.
Eric Joyce MP Chair
All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa
House of Commons, 
London, 
SW1A 0AA
 
By email 
 
I am writing to you on behalf of the Coalition of Rwandan Community Association in UK.
The Rwandan regime, distraught by the vigilance of the UK intelligence service in tracking its 
death squads is intent on grooming home grown hit men and women in the UK. Under the 
umbrella of the Rwandan Diaspora Convention Europe 2011, planned for the 22-24 th July 2011,
the regime is sponsoring a 5 day ideological education training for the youth (16-29 years old) “
in what is called
 
Itorero ry’igihugu,  aimed at teaching the history of Rwanda according to “the RPF” ideology” .
The militia training is scheduled to take place at the Apex Centre in Bury St Edmunds in the Suffolk County from the 17th to 24 th July 2011.
 
According to insiders in the Rwandan security apparatus, this will allow the regime’s agents 
to identify candidates suitable for more advanced training as political cum military cadres. 
Once trained ideologically and militarily, the regime would no longer need to send out hit 
squads against critics abroad.  According the official programme, there will be 
“PRESENTATION OF YOUTH AWARDS” from 3:00pm-6:00pm on 22nd July 2011.
 
The president of Paul Kagame is scheduled to address this event.
We believe that such a training falls within the definition of terrorist act under the UK law 
which where the Act "terrorism" means among others the use or threat of action where
 
(a) The use or threat is designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public or a 
section of the public, and
(b) the use or threat is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological 
cause.
 
The project should be stopped as means of prevention and suppression of terrorist 
activities.
What everyone should be aware of is that the regime of General Paul Kagame
has developed an instinct of self preservation is not short of imagination to make the 
indoctrination process of RPF political ideology look like a patriotic and very progressive 
enterprise. It has used as in the case of Gacaca courts, a traditional institutions Itorero 
ry’igihugu and Intore who woe the public and deceive the international community.
 
To understand the stratagem one needs to look at the choice of names given to the 
ideological school and granduants, namely Itorero ry’igihugu and intore. 

The word Itorero ry’igihugu, a Kinyarwanda word, was borrowed from the traditional 
educational institution for the aristocracy that mentored and cultivated leadership skills.
 
The lessons included History, Philosophy, Sociology, Oral Literature, Applied Ethics, Theology,
Political and Military Sciences, Law, Patriotism, Regional and International Relations. 

The word Intore is given to famous Rwandan dance “Intore, a “dance of heroes”. It is performed 
by men wearing grass wigs and carrying spears. It was a dance performed by returning 
warriors, celebrating victory in battle. At certain stages the dancers stop, with arms outstretched and make blood-curdling battle cries.The training is therefore to produce warriors to fight any dissenting ideology by force. 
 
In Rwanda, this ideological education has been made compulsory. For example in May 2008 local authorities in Gicumbi district in Northern Province sacked over 100 teachers for reportedly refusing to participate in the training that saw over 40,000 primary and secondary school teachers participate: 
 
Let us recall that the word interahammwe which meant “people working harmoniously 
together for a common purpose” referred to Hutu politicians who worked together and 
braved death threats while fighting to exploitative and oppressive monarchical system of 
government. In its creation, the interahamwe were not meant to kill Tutsi but rather formed 
to propagate and defend the political ideas and values of MRND party.
 
Given the past political and violent history of Rwanda and in consideration the recent 
Rwandan government foiled plan by the MI5 to eliminate physically its critics in the UK,
the Rwandan community in UK is extremely worried of the ideological training of Rwandan 
youth in the UK and therefore requests the UK government to impress upon the Rwandan 
High Commission and its affiliated Rwandan community association to stop the training into 
Rwandan into ideological extremism. 

Regards,
 
Noble Marara
Assistant Coordinator 
Email: noblemarara@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


Saturday, July 10, 2010

Rwanda arrest critical editor for genocide denia


KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda has arrested a newspaper editor on charges of genocide denial and stirring ethnic hatred less than a month ahead of August's presidential election, police said on Saturday.

Agnes Uwimana, who has already served a one year jail term for inciting ethnic divisions and defamation, was arrested on Thursday evening following the publication of an article comparing President Paul Kagame to Hitler, said police spokesman Eric Kayiranga.

"There are four charges. They are inciting hatred in public, genocide denial, discrimination and sectarianism. She has been warned several times and she refused to change," he said.

Two other critical newspapers were suspended in April on similar charges. Rights groups and major donors have in recent weeks expressed concerns about the increasingly repressive environment ahead of the presidential poll.

In June, another Rwandan journalist critical of the government was shot dead outside his home after writing a story linking Rwandan security services to the alleged assassination attempt on a dissident general in self-imposed exile in South Africa.

Kagame's administration strongly denies being behind either shooting.

"Once again, Rwandan authorities invoke national security and the legacy of the 1994 genocide to silence one of the few dissenting voices in the shrinking independent Rwandan press," said Mohamed Keita from New York-Based media rights group Committee to Protect Journalists.

Friday, July 9, 2010

A Rwandan Journalist Ms.Agnes Uwimana Nkusi was arrested

Another Rwandan Media Editor Arrested Trying to Flee the Country.
0diggsdigg
256 News
9 July 2010

Barely a month after a Rwandan editor was assassinated in Kigali, another Rwandan editor was arrested last night trying to flee the country.

Agnes Uwimana Nkusi, editor of the local vernacular newspaper "Mulabyo" was arrested on charges of alleged sectarianism, discrimination, genocide denial and inciting hatred in the public.

Our sources have told us that Uwimana was arrested in the district of Rushashyi in Northern Province where she was trying to escape to DR Congo after a tip off that the security sources planned to arrest her.

This is the second time she has been arrested on similar charges. She was first arrested in 2007 and was sentenced to one year in Kigali's main prison, 1930.

A number of journalists have been arrested and illegally detained, forcing many into exile while many independent newspapers have been banned. The threat of imprisonment is by far the greatest threat to the independent journalists in Rwanda.

As we were compiling this report, our sources in Kigali told us that the Minister in of Information and Executive-Secretary, together with the Director of Information, are holding a press conference at the Media High Council Office in Kigali to brief journalists on a new executive order requiring that everyone acquire new press cards. To obtain the card, every journalist will first have to be interrogated by the CID.

In May of this year, the international watchdog group Reporters Without Borders branded Rwandan President Paul Kagame as a "media predator”.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editor's Note: In addition, Mr. Jason Sterns, blogger at "Congo Siasa (Politics)," discovered that, "David Himbara, the influential former Principle Private Secretary (PPS) to President Kagame, also left Rwanda in January for South Africa. The circumstances of his departure are, however, not clear. He has not made any declarations since his arrival in South Africa, although sources among the RPF dissenters suggest he might have fallen out with the powerful First Lady." (http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/2010/07/another-arrest-in-rwanda.html)