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From: SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 1:47 PM
Subject: AFRICADAILY3 Where Is the Rrwandan Ambassador in Ottawa? Is
the Embassy Closed? Attention News Editors: Following the Mugesera decision, the Rwandese Republic asks the Government of Canada to launch an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada KIGALI, Rwanda, Sept. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - The Rwandese Government has, with
shock and stupefaction, just learned of the judgment of the Federal Court of
Appeal according to which Mr. L�on Mugesera has not committed any crimes
against humanity and can therefore continue to live a happy and peaceful life
in Canada.
Justice Robert D�cary at the very least acknowledged one of Mr.
Mugesera's characteristic traits, and I cite: "that he speaks in a colourful,
raw and sometimes brutal language."Whereas the Bible tells us that "what the
heart thinks the mouth speaks," and that "bitter water does not flow from a
pure spring," Justice D�cary, on the other hand, claims to have the ability to
examine Mr. Mugesera's heart, and declares that his brutal language emanates
from a pure heart.
It is appropriate to recall here that no genocide strikes like lightning,
and even in the case of lightning, the sky must first become cloudy. A
genocide is prepared meticulously and over a lengthy period of time. In the
case of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, as in the case of the holocaust of the
Jews in Europe, the ideologues and perpetrators of the genocide were careful
for a lengthy time in advance to dehumanize the future victims by
characterizing them as foreigners who unduly occupied their country (in Rwanda
the Tutsis were presented as Ethiopians), inhuman (the Tutsis were treated as
cockroaches and snakes), unworthy of trust, etc. This was all to prepare the
future torturers to execute their victims without any soul-searching, and also
to condition those who were incapable of killing not to be moved at the sight
of the extermination of these inhuman beings.
L�on Mugesera was one of the ideologues of the Rwandan genocide. He knows
this very well, as do all Rwandans. Tens of thousands of Tutsis were thrown
into the Nyabarongo River to be sent back home to Ethiopia by the shortest
route. They are no longer alive. This was the practical application of "his
colourful, raw and sometimes brutal language," which Justice D�cary finds
innocent and inoffensive.
The judgment rendered by Justice Robert D�cary calls to mind the sad
statement of the Head of State of a European country who, as recently as July
1994, stated "that a genocide in Africa is an unimportant event." For so long
as there are humans who think in this manner and for so long as judges are
recruited among humans, we will always have errors in judgment such as that
which has just been committed in the case of L�on Mugesera.
However, such judgments will not discourage the Rwandan people and people
of good will throughout the world in their determination to fight genocide and
crimes against humanity. At this time we would like to congratulate the
Federal Government of Canada for its determination not to allow Canada to
become a land of refuge for the perpetrators of genocide and other crimes
against humanity, and we encourage it to launch an appeal of this iniquitous
judgment to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Made in Kigali, September 9, 2003
RWANDESE REPUBLIC
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
AND COOPERATION
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For further information: Me Jacques Bouchard Jr, Consul General for the Rwandese Republic in Canada, Cell: (514) 927-0007; office: (514) 878-9411; For interview, please contact: Mrs. H�l�ne Bouchard, Cell: (514) 924-9627 SIBOMANA Jean
Bosco |
