I am a concerned survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi that occurred in Rwanda in 1994. For safety reasons, I beg to remain nameless. I was born, grew up and still live and work now in Rwanda. I went to secondary school in Musanze District (Northern Province) and did my undergraduate studies in former Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), the current College of Education. Dr. Leopold Munyakazi was one of our professors.
Dr. Leopold Munyakazi
As a member of AERG-KIE (Association of Students Survivors of Genocide against Tutsi, branch of KIE) then and one of students of Dr. Munyakazi, I knew him to be a man of integrity. I knew him as a man of honor and outstanding character and I cannot believe those accusations against him as I have never seen him displaying such behavior during the time he was at KIE. We knew that he was recently released from two different detention facilities in Rwanda, a detention that lasted over 4 years with NO CHARGES.
We also knew that Dr. Munyakazi had gone through difficult times during the previous regime, especially during the genocide as he was trying to protect his wife who is a Tutsi. From what I read on local websites and international online news and bearing in mind that I was in hiding myself during the genocide that took away all of my relatives, and without either defending or indicting Dr. Munyakazi, I have few questions that I assume every analyst would ask him/herself:
- How has Dr. Munyakazi been released from rwandan prison after over 4 years if he had committed genocide crimes?
- From what I know, the government of Rwanda cannot employ a person (especially in education) who was found guilty of charge and imprisoned for over 6 months. The government performs a criminal records search… and so, I wonder how they could have employed Dr. Munyakazi after his release from an imprisonment of over 4 years if he had been found guilty…
- I read in the Kagame Regime propaganda mouth piece, The New Times, a kind of fictional story about Dr. Munyakazi. This story says that "Munyakazi who is accused of genocide crimes, was once indicted by Gacaca (Rwanda traditional tribunals), released and detained in Muhanga Prison for two months before he was temporarily released as investigations continued. Nevertheless, the 65-year old man, who once taught at the Kigali Institute of Education, managed to sneak out of the country in 2004 and applied for asylum in the US, which has been pending since then." I know that Dr. Munyakazi was never a fugitive from Rwandan justice, I know that Dr. Munyakazi was released from prison and eventually cleared by that very same government. I know that after he was released from prison he began working again and made many trips from and to Rwanda for business and academic travel on a Rwandan-issued passport. I ask my readers, "Why would the government of Rwanda issue him a passport if he was a genocide criminal?"
- I know that Dr. Munyakazi went to the United States in 2004 and when he got there, he heard news that he was on a "list" of Hutus whose lives were in danger for speaking about the political nature of the genocide. He then applied for asylum. At that time nobody bothered with Dr. Munyakazi as a genocide criminal, or a genocide denier or revisionist until he made speeches at different universities around 2006. It was when Dr. Munyakazi spoke publically about the political nature of the genocide that the government of Rwanda issued charges against him in 2008. I ask my readers, "Why did the government of Rwanda wait for that long if they knew that a genocide criminal was living and working in the United States »?
- I read what Mr. Willis Shalita wrote on the 9th of September 2015 where he was responding to Keith Harmon Snow's assumption that Dr. Munyakazi would face certain death if returned to Rwanda. Mr. Shalita refutes this idea on a simple fact that Rwanda has abolished death penalty. Yes, indeed it is true that Rwanda has abolished death penalty, but again I ask Mr. Shalita and all my readers, "How many people (including genocide survivors) killed by agents of the Rwandan government this far in spite of the fact that death penalty has been abolished?"
Here is a list of a few people among our loved ones and 100% survivors of the genocide against Tutsi who were killed by the government of Paul Kagame; we are still crying out for their justice:
- An 8 year old boy, Richard Sheja, killed in Gakurazo in 1994 together with some clergy members.
- Mr. Assiel Kabera, advisor to President Pasteur Bizimungu, killed in Kigali in 2000.
- Lieutenant Pinah killed in Kigali by President Kagame's army.
- Lieutenant Alphonse Mbayire killed in Kigali by President Kagame Army.
- Sergent Olivier Gahima killed in Kigali by this Army
- Private Karim killed in Kigali.
- Lieutenant Fracois Munyemana killed in Kigali in 2008
- Mr. Charles Ingabire, journalist killed in 2011 in Uganda where he fled for his safety
- Mr. Aime Ntabana killed in Kami in 2013 after kidnapped in Kampala where he fled for his safety
- Mr. Gustave Sharangabo Makonene killed in Rubavu in 2013
- Mr. Olivier Maniriho killed in Kigali in 2014
- Mr. Emile Gafirita kidnapped from Nairobi, Kenya where he had fled for his safety and killed in Kami, Rwanda in 2014
- Mr. Richard Mazimpaka killed in Kigali in 2014 by the military agents
- Mr. Assinapol Rwigara, a businessman who was killed in Kigali in 2015 by DMI agents and the police. His family is being persecuted and, as I write now, the street that leads to his Premiere Hotel located in Nyarugenge District is sealed denying access to all and authorities are using bulldozers to demolish it. I ask, "Where is justice?"
- Captain Kayitare, driver of President Kagame, killed in Kigali in 2015 on his own Boss order
The list is long
The reality is that, there are some high ranking individuals who are in important position in Rwanda now who played important roles in planning the genocide, unfortunately no one can sue them because of they are protected by the government. Just because they praise President Kagame or RPF (the President's political party) plans such as the current constitutional change on presidential term limit. And those trying to raise the voice against the injustice, they end up being murdered (whether they are in Rwanda or outside of the country) or imprisoned.
Now as I conclude, I want to say that, as an active member of GAERG (Group of Former Students Survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi), and IBUKA (An Umbrella of Genocide Survivors Organizations) I don't know if Dr. Munyakazi is innocent or not; but the surest thing I know, is that bringing him back here in Rwanda does not guarantee him a fair trial.
It is not safe to send him here and indeed it would be unfair to deport him before he faces justice where he can receive a fair process. We have many people, both Tutsi and Hutu, who are languishing in our prisons here, who never received fair trial (Mrs. Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire, Mr. Kizito Mihigo, Mr. Mushayidi, General Frank Rusagara, Colonel Tom Byabagamba, Lt. Colonel Ngabo Rugigana etc.)
Please sign the petition below to stop the deportation of Munyakazi Leopold:
Written by
Felix Rudakubana
Posted by: Nzinink <nzinink@yahoo.com>
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The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
I have loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore I die in exile.
The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
When the white man came we had the land and they had the bibles; now they have the land and we have the bibles.
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