CP 24024 CSP-POINTE
Montréal Québec H1A4Z2
Canada
To H.E. President Paul Kagame
A call to curb the increasing political oppression in Rwanda.
Mr. President,
AMAHORO People's Congress is deeply troubled by
the tense political and social atmosphere prevailing in Rwanda, on one hand, and
its increasing isolation in the region, on the other. Mr. President, you must realize the
consequences of such an atmosphere in a country that is still recovering from
the 1994 genocide, two wars in the DRC, a war against Uganda in the DRC, and the
continual tensions between Rwanda and virtually all her neighbors.
We are particularly alarmed by the fact that you
and your government are the source of the said atmosphere. On April 3rd, 2003 at Bwisige, you gave
a speech that was reminiscent of those heard then from the government officials
during the 1990-1994 war. We are
greatly concerned by the strongly worded threats that you issued in your speech,
such as your threat to “wound” (nzabakomeretsa) those who disagree with you and
your government, and that of firing from civil services those you suspect would
flee the country if they did not hold government jobs. By your own affirmation, the upcoming
elections are a foregoing conclusion.
You indicated that you knew, one hundred percent, those who will be
elected!
Following your speech, human rights
organizations in Rwanda reported a number of people being rounded up, and some
simply disappearing. Mr. President,
it goes without saying that these actions, following your speech, are directly
imputable to you. Furthermore,
following your speech, the un-elected Parliament recommended the dissolution of
the “mouvement democratique republicain” (MDR).
The MDR, signatory to the ARUSHA agreement, has
for the past decade, been a staunch supporter and ally of the RPF in your
government. It has provided 3 prime
ministers who have implemented the political program of the RPF since 1994. One might wonder why it took the
RPF nine years to want to dissolve the MDR if indeed it preached Parmehutu
IDEOLOGY among Rwandans. One might
wonder, with reason, about the motives of such a move, given the fact that the
MDR is the only political party among those allowed to exist by your government,
which is capable of mounting a credible challenge to the RPF during the upcoming
elections.
Mr. President, your government has illegally
forbidden new political parties from being formed inside Rwanda. Mr. Pasteur Bizimungu who dared to form
one, after the then Secretary General of the RPF and the current minister of
foreign affairs declared that it was perfectly legal and allowed in Rwanda for
new political parties to be formed, has been jailed for it for over a year. Now, even some existing political
parties are being dissolved, not to mention that those remaining are only
allowed to function at the political bureau level. Clearly Rwanda is moving in the wrong
direction. We call on you and your
government to return to the democratic path.
As we clearly demonstrated in our analysis and
evaluation of your unilaterally drafted constitution, http://newrwanda.org/csec_report.htm,
it is not a desirable constitution for any country aspiring towards a true
democracy. We repeat our
recommendation that a new and more representative commission be set up to draft
a truly national constitution that will guaranty freedom and liberty for all
Rwandans. We renew our call for the
release of all political prisoners and the immediate cessation of harassment,
threats, and intimidations of human rights organizations such as the
LIPRODHOR.
Notwithstanding the contribution of the
international community, peace, security, and prosperity will come from Rwandans
themselves. It is for this reason
that we call upon you and your government once more, to open up the political
domain, so that Rwandans can freely participate in the affairs of their country
without fear for their lives or their livelihood.
Mr. President, the politics of exclusion that
your government has practiced to date, have led to increased tension inside the
country, and animosity with virtually all neighboring countries. These alone should be the hallmarks to
the failure of your government.
We hope Mr. President, that you and your
government will heed our call.
Sincerely,
Alexandre Kimenyi
President
AMAHORO People’s Congress