Strongly Protested by the Rwandan Government

Rwanda minister of information Louise Mushikiwabo, at a press conference, said the Rwandan government had through a diplomatic protest note served onto the Germany embassy in Kigali, objected to the arrest of Ms Kabuye, accusing the German government of bias, having failed to extradite two Hutu extremist elements, to face trial before the Rwanda genocide tribunal.

Judge Bruguière in November 2006 stirred controversy with his call for the prosecution of President Paul Kagame for actions alleged to have triggered the 1994 genocide.
Judge Bruguière said, Mr Kagame, whose Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front took control of the country after the 100-day genocide that saw the slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, should stand trial at the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, ICTR.
Bruguière wants Kagame charged with bringing down the plane of former Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana with ground-to-air missiles on April 6, 1994. Three French crew member died with Habyarimana aboard his Falcon jet, together with the then president of neighboring Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamire.

Judge Bruguière was unable to indict Mr Kagame because under French law sitting heads of state enjoy immunity from prosecution but the French judge also issued arrest warrants for nine of Kagama’s top aides, including Ms Kabuye.
The others are James Kabarebe, the head of the military, Charles Kayonga, army chief of staff; Faustin Jyamwasa-Kayumba, ambassador to India; Jackson Nkurunziza, of presidential guard; Samuel Kanjyamera, an RPF parliamentary deputy; Jacob Tumwime, an army officer; Franck Nziza, a Presidential Guard officer and Eric Hakizimana, an intelligence officer.

The five generals and five colonels served in Operation Turquoise, a French military mission to Rwanda in 1994 that has been marred by controversy over allegations that it helped Hutu genocide perpetrators.

The 10 including General Jean-Claude Lafourcade who commanded Operation Turquoise were named in a report released in August by Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama on France’s alleged role in the genocide.

“These serious and unfounded accusations could not be left without a response,” said Lafourcade in a statement.

“This is why 10 officers whose honour has been tarnished have decided to launch legal proceedings to counter these accusations in the courts of our country,” he said.

The officers have filed suit for slander in a Paris court, saying the report accused them of “having fully taken charge of the genocidal campaign” through Operation Turquoise, according to Lafourcade.

The report alleges that France was aware of preparations for the genocide, contributed to planning the massacres and actively took part in the killing.

It names 13 senior politicians and 20 military officials as responsible and raises the prospect of Rwandan legal action against them.

Following its release on August 5, France rejected the allegations as “unacceptable”.

Defense Minister Herve Morin said French soldiers had nothing to be ashamed of from their service in Rwanda.

At least 800,000 people died, mainly minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus, during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, according to the United Nations.

france24.com/en/20081105-french-officers-genocide-report-rwanda-france

The court also ordered that Didier Bourguet, 44, undergo psychiatric treatment.

Bourget was accused of raping some 20 girls aged between 12 and 18 while posted in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2004.

The Frenchman, who was responsible for the maintenance of United Nations peacekeeping vehicles, admitted during the trial to having paid sex with the girls, but insisted they had consented.

DR Congo police arrested Bourguet in the eastern city of Goma in October 2004 and turned him over to France. French state prosecutor Pierre Kramer rejected his defense and said Bourguet showed “an absence of compassion for his victims” living in harsh economic conditions.

Kramer argued that the girls were “under duress given their age and the economic context” of their countries.

The prosecution had asked the Paris court to sentence him to 12 years.

Prosecutors told the court that Bourguet sought out girls through go-betweens during his postings in the Central African Republic from 1998 to 2001 and in DR Congo from 2001 to 2004.

One of the victims, a Congolese girl now aged 16 and living in Canada, told the court she had been abused after being served a cup of tea that had made her dizzy.

A police officer testified that Bourguet had engaged in sexual acts with about 24 girls, paying between 10 and 20 dollars (seven to 14 euros) each time.

Lawyer Emmanuel Daoud representing one of the victims said that between 15,000 and 20,000 rapes were committed each year in the DR Congo by soldiers, rebels and, sometimes, UN personnel, he said.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5glcjuSJrjkztDUv98puErRSXJ1DA

Rwanda’s government is to reveal details of a report containing allegations of French involvement in the country’s 1994 genocide.

The report is expected to contain the names of those alleged to be implicated and the accusations against them.

Some 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days in the 1994 massacre.

Earlier this year France’s foreign minister denied French responsibility in connection with the genocide, but said political errors had been made.

Testimonies

The BBC’s Geoffrey Mutagoma in the capital, Kigali, says a commission set up by the government took nearly two years investigating France’s alleged role in the genocide.

It heard testimonies from genocide survivors, researchers, writers and reporters.

The 500-page document was presented to the government last November, but has not yet been made public.

Last week, President Paul Kagame told a press conference in Kigali that Rwanda had strong evidence implicating France’s role.

In the past his government has repeatedly accused France of arming and training the Hutu extremists who perpetrated the genocide, and of dragging its feet in co-operating with the investigations that followed the massacres.

The two countries have had a frosty relationship since 2006 when a French judge implicated President Paul Kagame in the downing in 1994 of then-President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane, which triggered the killings.

President Kagame has always denied the charges and says Mr Habyarimana, a Hutu, was killed by Hutu extremists who blamed the incident on his Tutsi rebels to provide the pretext for the genocide.

Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by Hutu extremists in the genocide.

It stated to be “first electronic data base of this type in the world”. Contrary to a site like Wikipedia, each contribution will have to receive the approval of qualified specialists.

So we at Terroritory.com, are putting them to the test and submitting an article on Didier Bourguet

Didier Bourguet, the U.N. senior official who is charged with running an Internet pedophile ring in the Congo. Pictures taken from his personal computer contained thousands of photos of him with hundreds of girls. Police say Bourguet had turned his bedroom, plastered with mirrors and rigged with remote-control cameras, into a stealth porn studio. He was caught in a sting operation while allegedly preparing to rape a 12-year-old girl. He was shipped back to France to disappear from the public eye…or so they hoped.

I think Didier Bourguet could be part of a “Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence”.

But the French site doesn’t have any returns on the pedophile… or should I say, because of resistance of the French Justice system to prosecute him…. alleged pedophile.

Swedish soldiers saw French soldiers participating in hours of torture involving a Congolese man in civilian dress, allegedly choking and beating him.

This operation, sanctioned by the United Nation’s, is seen as the European Union’s first joint effort. The force contained approximately 1,500 soldiers, with orders to go to the DR Congo in an effort to provide safety to civilians in the region during 2003.

While the action was a joint effort by EU troops, reports clearly indicated the show was run by the French. It will be interesting to see whether we now have another instance similar to Abu Ghraib

We have requested a transcript from the producers of the documentary. We will post this soon.

http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=2232

The following is the resolution that started it all

COUNCIL DECISION 2003/432/CFSP of 12 June 2003
on the launching of the European Union military operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular
Article 17(2) and Article 25 thereof,
Having regard to the Council Joint Action of 2003/423/CFSP
of 5 June 2003 on the European Union Military Operation in
the Democratic Republic of Congo (1), and in particular Article 6 thereof,

Whereas:
(1) On 30 May 2003, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1484 (2003) authorising, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the temporary deployment of an interim emergency multinational force in Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(2) Following the request by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the European Union has decided to provide a temporary stabilisation force in the Ituri Region in implementation of the mandate provided in the UNSC Resolution 1484 (2003) of 30 May 2003.
(3) The Council has authorised the Political and Security Committee to take relevant decisions concerning the political control and strategic direction of the operation.
(4) In conformity with Article 6 of the Protocol on the position of Denmark annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, Denmark does not participate in the elaboration and implementation of decisions and actions of the European Union which have defence implications.
Denmark does not participate in the financing of the operation,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
The Operation Plan is approved.
Article 2
The Rules of Engagement Authorisation message is approved.
Article 3
The EU military operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo shall be launched on 12 June 2003.
Article 4
The Operation Commander is hereby authorised with immediate effect to release the activation order (Actord) in order to execute the deployment of the forces, prior to transfer of authority following their arrival in theatre, and start execution
of the mission.
Article 5
Without prejudice to Article 15 of the Joint Action 2003/423/ CFSP, this Decision will remain in effect until such time as the forces committed to the operation in Bunia have been redeployed.
Article 6
This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Done at Luxembourg, 12 June 2003.
For the Council
The President
G. DRYS