AMAHORO-PEOPLE’S CONGRESS
CP 24024 CSP-POINTE
Montréal Québec H1A4Z2
Canada
Imprisonment of President Pasteur Bizimungu, Mr. Charles Ntakirutinka, and their camrades in UBUYANJA
AMAHORO People's Congress condemns, in the strongest terms, the mockery of justice carried out by the Kagame regime in the case of President Bizimungu, Mr. Charles Ntakirutinka, and their comrades in UBUYANJA. Today, June 7, 2004, Mr. Bizimungu was sentenced to 15 years in prison; Mr. Ntakirutinka was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and their comrades were sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Ever since Mr. Pasteur Bizimungu was forced to resign in March 2000, and particularly after attempting to form a political party, independent of the RPF, he and his comrades have been harassed, persecuted, arrested, jailed, and now sentenced to long years in prison. There are even those within UBUYANJA, who have paid the ultimate price for involvement in the opposition.
AMAHORO People's Congress calls on human rights organizations, the international community, and all Rwandans to condemn in non ambiguous terms the Kagame government and to urge it to release President Bizimungu, Mr. Ntakirutinka, their comrades, and all other political prisoners in Rwanda.
AMAHORO People's Congress remains convinced that lasting peace in Rwandan can only be achieved if and only if justice is guarantied for all. It is for this reason that we urge President Kagame and his regime to stop interfering with the judicial system and to allow it to discharge its duty freely, equitably and justly.
AMAHORO People's Congress calls on the international community to pressure Mr. Kagame to release all political prisoners and to remind him of the heavy consequences of his misguided concept of justice which rewards genocide criminals by continuing to release them, but keeps prosecuting political opponents.
While the struggle for democracy and freedom appears to be hopeless at times, AMAHORO People's Congress believes in its inevitable successful outcome. We encourage every Rwandan not give up, but to continue and claim his/her rights even more earnestly, be it through political organizations or otherwise.
Rwanda will be what we make of it.
For AMAHORO People's Congress
Gallican Gasana
Secretary General
Toronto, Canada
June 7, 2004