The unanswered questions surrounding the arrest of Rwanda’s intelligence chief General Karenzi Karake (KK) at Heathrow airport as he returned home from official duty on 20th June, points at an act of revenge by UK authorities for the closure of BBC Kinyarwanda broadcast as revealed by sources close to diplomatic circles.
Secondly, the arrest of General KK who is among Rwandan heroes who stopped genocide when the world abandoned Rwanda, also serves a long standing game of political conspiracy among some EU member states and organizations that supported genocide and those who committed genocide to cover up their involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, by propagating the ‘double genocide theory’.
After three weeks of General KKs arrest, and Human Rights watch jumps out of a long slumber and with no compelling reason calls for the arrest of FDRL commander Mudacumura, and transfer him to the ICC, appears as a way of sending a message that justice is being done in the context of the double genocide theory.
One of the fundamental questions being asked is, why was the arrest carried out at this time? Well placed diplomatic sources, confirm that the UK authorities were angered by the tiny nations decision, and the arrest was meant to teach Rwanda a lesson to obey and collaborate to accept the program back on air. In public, the British official act as if the BBC affair is not their concern, but corridor diplomacy reveals it is a serious affair.
General KK was arrested just one month after the BBC Kinyarwanda program was switched off from Rwandan airwaves.
The General is said to have been travelling to UK severally since 2008, when Spanish judge Fernando Andreu indictment was issued and no arrest threats ever happened before on the British territory. The two incidents happening in the same period cannot be taken as a coincidence.
The BBC program that angered the UK powers was shut down following recommendations of a commission of inquiry into the BBC broadcast of a documentary titled, “Rwanda’s untold story” in October 2014, which sparked country wide demonstration in Rwanda for negating the genocide against the Tutsi, and also widely condemned by prominent personalities as un professional and biased. The documentary was meant to re-write the history of Rwanda by depicting those who stopped genocide as the ones who caused another un documented genocide of the Hutu, hence putting forward ‘the double genocide theory’ advocating for Rwandan officials also to be charged with genocide and crimes against humanity.
Again, its not by coincidence therefore, that the contents of the BBC documentary and the motive of the Spanish Judge indictment are meant to serve the same purpose.
Many researchers and scholars have challenged and proved with hard evidence that the arrest warrants issued by the French Judge Bruguiere in 2006, against Rwandan government officials and the one issued by the Spanish judge Fernando Andreu in 2008; the latter being the one UK authorities claimed were acting upon in the arrest of General KK, were politically motivated.
One year after the Spanish Judge indictment, the UN panel of experts came up with a detailed report that linked the Spanish Judge indictment to information received from two Spanish NGOs Fundancio S’Oliivar and Inshuti both organizations found to have strong collaboration and monetary support to FDRL, a terrorist out fit made up of elements responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi that killed more than one million Rwandans.
Secondly, Spanish Judge Fernandos arrest warrant on which the UK authorities claim reinforced to arrest General KK had been overruled by the Spanish High court and therefore rendered null and void.
The UK authorites cannot claim innocence of the fact that the Spanish Judge indictment was not valid and also politically motivated. General KK having served as a deputy commander of a UN force in Darfur (UNAMID), the British authorities knew very well that no senior military officer can be accepted by the UN system to serve in such a position without being vetted.
The UK therefore, demonstrated complicity in a sinister motive by camaraderie with the EU family, hence the Rwanda –UK cordial relationship inconsequential and by deduction joined the list of those who propagated the ‘double genocide’ theory which the Spanish judge indictment is meant to serve.
The second un answered question is, why was the principle of international law on diplomatic immunity General KK enjoyed violated? The arrest was a gross violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, and Article 29 of the Convention on Special Missions 1969, which clearly states that, “the persons of the representative of the sending State in the special mission and of the members of its diplomatic staff shall be inviolable.
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They shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. The receiving State shall treat with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on their persons, freedom or dignity”. General KKs immunity and freedom were not only violated but furthermore, his dignity was not respected, he was humiliated by subjecting him to arrest by a junior officer.
The only logical explanation as to why the UK authorities violated General KKs immunity and invoked an arrest warrant that had been rendered dead by the Spanish high court, and challenged by UN experts report in 2009, is that the UK authorities being driven by anger and emotion to revenge for closure of the BBC Kinyarwanda program, acted contrary to provisions of the International law, disregarded logic and reasoning on facts and implications.
The UK authorities have a number of precedents on diplomatic immunity and cannot claim innocence of these international law provisions. In 2006, Ken Livingstone the mayor of London at the time was angered by non payment of over $ 575,000 road tolls by the US embassy and threatened to sue the United States.
The reasons why Ken did not sue should be the same reasons General KK should not have been subjected to arrest. The UK authorities know very well that the golden rule under Diplomatic immunity is: Treat other diplomats as you would like yours to be treated.
What was the UK reaction before and after the suspension of the BBC Kinyarwanda program? Before the program was suspended, Rwanda constituted a commission of inquiry which summoned a number of people to give testimony including BBC executives. The BBC bosses neither appeared before the commission nor sent a representative.
A diplomatic source in Kigali informed that when the commission of inquiry tried to ask the UK mission if they could convince BBC to appear before the commission of inquiry, the officials responded that BBC was an independent body and that it was not in their interest to play the role.
However, after the commission of inquiry recommendation to suspend the BBC program which was latter effected, the diplomatic source in Kigali informed that high ranking UK mission officials approached the government asking if they can help to convene a tripartite meeting between government officials, UK mission representatives and BBC executives to clear the misunderstanding so that the BBC program can be allowed back on the air, but the late efforts did not make any break through.
What is the EU connection to the BBC suspension?
Following the suspension of BBC local language program, seven European Union ambassadors in Kigali signed a joint statement condemning the decision and a France based media watchdog, Reporters without Borders traditionally known to criticize Rwandan authorities as media predators, also raised an alarm.
Analysts wondered how foreign envoys get concerned with a program that broadcast in a local language they neither hear nor speak, when Rwanda has over 30 independent radio stations all broadcasting mainly in the local language, and as such puzzling to hear foreign voices claiming that the closure of the BBC program ended independent reporting.
Many Rwandans find it cynical that in 1994, when hate media in Rwanda (Radio RTLM and Kangura newspaper) were being used to incite people to commit genocide, there was no joint statement from EU ambassadors or from Reporters without borders condemning the hate media.
What is the EU connection to the arrest of Gen. KK?
Spain the origin of General KKs false indictment is an EU member state and the countries in question for supporting the genocide against the Tutsi are in the same league. The UK is the least country that was expected to fall prey to the double genocide gospel that was hatched in EU and being preached by organizations and individuals responsible for supporting the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
Another intriguing un answered question that followed the arrest of General KK is the statements issued by EU and Human rights watch calling for the arrest and transfer to ICC of FDRL commander Mudacumura, statements that were issued out of the blue with no compelling reason.
Political analysts interpreted the move as a political gimmick meant to send a message to Rwandans that the EU is concerned with tackling the FDRL issue, while in another sense; it was a smoke screen to show that justice was being done on both sides, in accordance with the double genocide philosophy.
Sources close to diplomatic circles tell how after the arrest of General Karake Karenzi, the UK may now be on a campaign trail to mobilize other EU countries to stop financial support to Rwanda, and on the other hand Rwandan dissidents in EU also being mobilized to do the same.
There is this thinking that if the double genocide theory on which the Spanish judge indictment that caused the arrest of General KK has been accepted as the gospel truth by all EU member states including the UK, then there is a big problem of how powerful nations cover up each other even in matters as grave as genocide!
This is the same ideology as that of the former president of France Francois Mitterrand, who said that genocide in such countries as Rwanda does not matter.
Genocide suspects in EU states under indictment by Rwanda
European Union countries have close to 120 genocide suspects indicted by Rwanda, with France having the biggest number of 39 followed by Belgium with 33 and Netherlands 19, Germany 6, Sweden 6, Norway 5, United Kingdom 5, with few others in Denmark, Finland and Norway.
In 21 years after genocide, a mere 12 have been convicted only one case being in France of Captain Simbikangwa who was sentenced to 25 years , and 2 cases of extradition, while the 5 indicted in UK were set free on bail.
The question arises; why do EU countries drag their feet to arrest or extradite these people? Is it because they cannot be traced or what? Leaving those who committed genocide and instead point accusing fingers on those who stopped the genocide causes more trauma to the survivors of genocide.
One million innocent souls were brutally murdered in cold blood simply because of the way God created them; and those who stopped genocide are the ones now being turned into genociders and the victims turned into perpetrators!
When Rwandans demonstrated against the arrest of General KK, many among them were genocide survivors he saved, and no single prosecutor at the Westminster magistrates’ court can ever understand the agony the demonstrators had deep in their hearts- they were bleeding and continue to bleed, for an unjust and cruel selfish world in EU as long as General KK continues to be a victim of a conspiracy to cover up the role of powerful countries that had a hand in aiding and abetting genocide, while the very people who committed genocide enjoy comfort, support, advocacy and protection by EU countries.
Genocide scholars describe genocide to happen in eight or ten stages, the last one being denial by those who committed it, covering up the evidence and turning the victims into perpetrators. This is exactly unfolding in the arrest of General KK.
Can UK disassociate itself with the Genocide denial conspiracy?
The answer is Yes, it is possible. The UK has enjoyed cordial relations with Rwanda and is a strong supporter of reconciliation efforts and economic development. General KK had trust and felt protected by a friendly country and expected no harm.
Having been on an official mission, his arrest on a politically motivated indictment was an act of betrayal. For UK to turn around and be identified with EU countries that are doing all the spin rounds to shake off their involvement in genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda would be a big mistake and a shame.
The UK law makers have a choice to make, either prevail on their government and judicial system to stop from being implicated in the Rwanda genocide denial conspiracy hatched by some EU member states, and unconditionally release General KK, or accept their great, and democratic United Kingdom to go down in history books as having aided and abated the genocide against the Tutsi denial conspiracy in the year 2015.
Gad Mwene Mzee
Email: [email protected]
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