British lawmakers must be crazy supporting Rwanda terror kingpin

It’s an insult for many Rwandans, especially the victims of the terror attacks by the MRCD/FLN of Paul Rusesabagina for British lawmakers to call him “a human rights activist.”

An article in the London-based tabloid Daily Mail by the infamous Rwanda hater Ian Birrell, on December 11, exposed how a group of UK Parliamentarians were willing to wholeheartedly support the lies of the #FreeRusesabagina campaign waged by her daughters Carine and Anaise Kanimba, backed by a sophisticated web of international lobbyists.

The article, “Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is urged to block the appointment of Rwanda’s top diplomat in London over the kidnap and detention of the country’s famous human rights activist,” is a pile of falsehoods and misleading statements. The latter are concocted by Rusesabagina’s family to exculpate him of the serious terrorism crimes he was found guilty of by Rwanda’s High Court. The court sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

There was no kidnap. For a long time, Rusesabagina, featured on Interpol’s most wanted list. The Rwanda Investigation Bureau staged a sting operation to lure him to Rwanda so that it could arrest him. The operation was successful. What Rwanda did is what every country in the global north does or has done.

One example is the recent attempt by Ukraine’s intelligence to ensnare a war criminal with a fake website. The Belarus security agency foiled that sting operation. The CIA supported the operation.

In October 2013, the Belgian Police arrested a Somali pirate, Mohamed Abdi Hassan, nicknamed “Big Mouth after being lured to Belgium by undercover agents who said they wanted to make a film about the pirates’ exploits.

How is Rusesabagina’s entrapment different from these cases?

Why do these parliamentarians think that this was kidnapping, or extraordinary rendition?

The Rusesabagina’s defence advanced this argument, but it didn’t wash.

It’s also preposterous for Birrell to suggest that Rwandan President Paul Kagame dismissed former justice minister Johnston Busingye, now Rwanda’s high commission designate to the UK.

The man has, since 2013, served with distinction as justice minister and attorney general.

It’s obvious that the two most vocal lawmakers, Sir Ian Duncan Smith of Chingford and Woodgreen (Conservative) and Chris Bryant of Rhondda (Labour) fell prey to Rusesabagina’s lies that he was tortured in prison. If they had taken time to check with their representation in Kigali, they would’ve realised that this was just a red herring.

Nevertheless, they went ahead and asked the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, to reject the credentials of Busingye, Rwanda’s newly appointed High Commission to the UK on the basis that he confirmed to a journalist that the Rwanda government paid for the jet that transported Rusesabagina Kigali.

It smacks of white supremacy to brandish The Magnitsky Sanctions every time these powers don’t like what a developing nation like Rwanda does to defend its national sovereignty.

It's hypocritical for these lawmakers to advocate for the plight of a convicted terrorist, Rusesabagina, while they have never raised any concern about the mistreatment and abuse in British prisons - like the notorious Belmarsh where journalist Julian Assange is currently detained. The only crime he committed was to expose the gross violations of human rights by the US government in its war on terror.

It’s reported that the Wikileaks founder, being held on remand in this maximum-security jail had a mini stroke caused by the stress of the US extradition proceedings.

The UK became a safe haven for Rwandan genocidaires who have been living there for more than two decades on taxpayers’ expenses, without anyone of the UK legislators raising any concern.

What the outburst of the two MPs shows is the lack of due diligence in treating with equal seriousness terrorist activities. It’s perplexing to see a country like the UK which suffered greatly from terrorism doing the bidding for a Rwandan terror convict. These are double standards in their extreme form.

But the MPs should all know that the Rwandan government will never give in to blackmail.