Rwandan Genocide Continues to Haunt the World

Rwandan Genocide Continues to Haunt the World

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

KIGALI, Rwanda – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited a memorial for the victims of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide on Tuesday and said the Rwandan genocide “will haunt the United Nations and the international community for generations.”

Ki-moon observed a long moment of silence for the 800,000 people who died in the genocide, mainly members of President Paul Kagame’s Tutsi minority.   Ki-moon’s visit was the first for a UN secretary general since Kofi Annan visited in 2001.   There is still outstanding resentment towards the UN for failing to prevent the genocide, and Annan had on several occasions admitted to the body’s failure to take action. 

During his visit Ban Ki-moon pledged $10,000 from his personal resources to a fund set up by the Government to assist the survivors of the genocide and to educate hundreds of orphans.   

Ki-moon also stated that he supports Rwanda’s bid to receive and try genocide suspects from the Arusha based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).  The ICTR’s mandate expires at the end of this year and Rwanda has requested to take over any remaining cases at that point.  The tribunal was created in 1995 and has completed 35 case, with five of them ending in acquittal.  Six suspects are currently awaiting trial and 27 are currently undergoing trial. 

Meanwhile, President Paul Kigame told Reuters today that military intervention may be the only way to halt the escalating ethnic violence in Kenya.  Civil unrest and violence in Kenya since the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki last month has killed an estimated 850 people.   Kagame warned that Kenya should learn from Rwanda’s bloody history.   “It starts with five deaths, then 10, then 50, shortly it grows to 100, then it goes to thousands … By the time you realise, it has a dimension that is wiping out life in villages and communities and is getting out of control and the whole political situation is a mess,” he said.  “It is not too late for Kenyans to look back and see how our country went down the drain in the past and I don’t think we would wish a similar thing for any country.”

For more information, please see:

AFP – Rwanda genocide will haunt world for generations: UN Chief – 29 January 2008

AllAfrica.com – Ban Ki-moon Says World Must Protect Civilians From Genocide – 29 January 2008

AllAfrica.com – Ki-Moon Backs Bid to Try ICTR Suspects – 30 January 2008

Reuters – Rwanda suggests military option for Kenya crisis – 30 January 2008

BBC News – Could Kenya become Rwanda? – 30 January 2008

China Refuses to Politicize Olympic Games

By Juliana Chan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – The People’s Daily, the leading community party newspaper in China, expressed in a commentary piece Tuesday that any attempt to use the Beijing Olympics to discredit China or force it to change policy is doomed to failure.

This comes in response to an intense week of increased international criticism of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. On Monday, Britain’s Prince Charles, who has long taken an interest in Tibet, said he would not be going to the opening ceremony of August’s games. Wang Hui, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, responded to the Prince’s boycott as “unfair…[t]he Beijing Olympic Games belongs to the whole world, not only to China. Our slogan is ‘One World, One Dream.”

The Games have been linked to Darfur, Taiwan independence, religious liberties in Tibet, and freedom of expression. Beijing, however, is fighting to prevent the event from being politicized.

The commentary said that the international pressure has forced China to face “suggestions and accusations from all over the world, including misunderstandings, sarcasm and very harsh criticism.” Furthermore, China will never submit to taunting or political pressure from groups or governments wishing to use the Beijing Olympics to change Chinese policy.

Jiang Yu, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said China’s progress in protecting the rights and freedoms of its citizens should be recognized, and the international community should oppose acts disrupting the Olympic Games.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Olympics-China says won’t submit to pressure – 29 January 2008

Guardian Unlimited – China hits out at attempts to politicise Olympics – 29 January 2008

CNN – Tibet group: Prince to boycott Games – 28 January 2008

Bangladesh Arrests Labor Rights Activist

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

DHAKA, Bangladesh – On January 24th, Bangladesh authorities arrested Mehedi Hasan, a field investigator for the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), for instigating protests against emergency rules.

On January 15th, rioters ransacked more than a dozen garment factories. Rioters protested their lack of unpaid wages and unsafe working conditions. In order to break up the riots, Bangladesh police shot tear gas into the crowds. During the riots, over one hundred persons were injured, factories were damaged, and vehicles were vandalized. The garment factories involved in the riots resumed operation on January 16th.

Authorities arrested Mehedi Hasan at the Zia International Airport before he boarded a plane to Bangkok. According to an unnamed official, Mehedi Hasan was taken to court on Sunday. Authorities will detain and question him for up to four days. In addition to Mehedi Hasan, authorities have arrested ten other labor leaders. Authorities identified the relevant persons after watching video of the riots taken by television stations.

Mehedi Hasan’s employer, WRC, is an independent monitoring group. It investigates working conditions at factories that make goods for the United  States. It specifically investigates factories that make college and university apparel. WRC’s Executive Director Scott Nova protested the arrest in a statement, “There is no legitimate reason for Mehedi Hasan’s arrest and we call upon the government of Bangladesh to effect his immediate and unconditional release. We are deeply concerned for his safety.”

Other groups have joined the WRC in protesting the arrest. Labor Behind the Label (LBL) and the War on Want (WW) have also called for the Mehedi Hasan’s release. LBL has written letters to all British fashion brands, asking them to make formal inquiries about the arrest. In the letter LBL writes, “It is clear that Mr. Hasan’s arrest is related to the labour rights monitoring work he has performed on the WRC’s behalf. Labour rights advocates in Bangladesh are very concerned that the security forces will physically mistreat Mr. Hasan…All of these charges are false to the point of absurdity.” WW’s John Hilary, campaign and policy director, said, “It is unacceptable that researchers should be locked up for defending workers’ rights. We call for the immediate release of Mr. Hasan and for the rights of all trade unionists to be respected.”

Bangladesh is currently under emergency rule. A military-back interim government runs the Bangladesh government. Civil rights have remained suspended while security forces operate under the emergency rule.

For more information, please see:

AP – Police Arrest Bangladesh Rights Activist – 29 January 2008

Independent Bangladesh – Cases Files Against RMG Workers, Leaders – 18 January 2008

War on Want – Bangladesh Government Cracks Down on Workers’ Rights Monitors – 28 January 2008

Refugees Return to Mauritania After 18 Years in Exile

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

After 18 years spent in exile in Senegal, more than 100 black Mauritanian refugees will return home. These citizens were expelled from Mauritania after racial riots that took place in 1989. These race riots erupted in Mauritania and Senegal after a border dispute. Hundreds of people were killed, and others became the targets of attacks and land seizures. 35,000 black Mauritanians went into exile after ethnic purges were conducted by the Arab dominated government.

In November of last year, Mauritania and Senegal, signed a deal that allowed for a repatriation process monitored by the United Nations refugee agency. The deal will allow 12,000 refugees to return to Mauritania. The UN program will run until December 2008.

Francis Kpatinde, a representative of the UNHCR, reported the BBC that the repatriation process is voluntary, giving those who want to go home, the opportunity to do so. More than 24,000 people have expressed interest in returning home

The first volunteers were mostly women, children, and the elderly. The UNHCR will provide all refugees with assistance consisting of three months of food supply. Moreover, the UN will help the refugees reintegrate into society.

Refugees who have returned have received a mixed welcome. Khadi, a young man from Zouérat, the largest town in northern Mauritania stated “People are suffering and we lack everything. We don’t have water, electricity or work. And we have to accommodate thousands more people! That’s completely stupid.” Many are critical that these refugees will not be able to find food, land, and jobs.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Mauritanian refugees return home – 29 January 2008

BBC- Mauritania Country Profile   – 12 January 2008

Allafrica- Mauritania: First Refugees Returning From Senegal Get Mixed Welcome – 29 January 2008

Turkey: Scholar Sentenced for Insulting Ataturk

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

Professor Atilla Yayla was arrested for his insulting remarks about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.  Yayla is the head of the Association of Liberal Thinking at Gazi University in Ankara.  Yayla remarked in a speech in 2006 that Atatürk was not as progressively minded as official Turkish history portrays.  Instead, Yayla argued that Atatürk’s one party system may have been “regressive in some aspects.”  (Guardian Unlimited- Turkey jails academic for insulting Ataturk)  Yayla was immediately fired concerning the court case about the remark, but was later reinstated by Gazi University.  (Guardian Unlimited- Turkish academic warns of governmental clampdown)

Yayla was given a 15 month sentence for his insulting remarks.  He was prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which prohibits insulting Turkishness.

Yayla commented that the decision would make it difficult for him to practice his profession and engage in serious dialogue regarding Turkish history.  “After this I should maybe talk about birds and trees, but not about political ideologies or freedoms in Turkey or human rights,” he said to EducationGuardian.co.uk.  (Guardian Unlimited- Turkish academic warns of governmental clampdown)

Turkey must encourage serious discussion regarding its founding.  Otherwise, the precedent could be further extended and allow the government to prosecute anyone that criticizes the current government and its abuses.  The disincentive to journalists could prevent serious government abuses from being exposed to the media, which may enable impunity to remain undiscovered.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Professor Convicted for Insulting Atatürk- 28 January 2008

Guardian Unlimited- Turkey jails academic for insulting Atatürk– 28 January 2008

Guardian Unlimited- Turkish academic warns of governmental clampdown- 29 January2008