Regional
Hands off Rwanda’s justice system: we will not be intimidated
![image](webadmin/images/Judiciary....jpg-20220204103301000000.jpg)
Congressmen
Joaquin Castro of Texas and Young Kim of California have tabled a resolution
(HR 892) in Congress demanding the unconditional release of a convicted
terrorist, Paul Rusesabagina.
Joaquin Castro
These
honorable gentlemen forget one thing: US Congress has no power over Rwandan
courts, and Rwanda’s justice system is independent and not beholden to anyone,
later on outside powers.
What
if roles were reversed and another country demanded the release of alleged (as
well as) convicted felons in US prisons, or Guantanamo, Cuba where hundreds of
alleged terrorists are rotting, never mind how they ended up in Cuba, and have
not appeared before a judge in over a decade?
This
condescending sense of entitlement astounds me, never mind that it is coming
from US Congressmen. They fail to realize that Rwanda is an independent and
sovereign country that, not now or ever, will bow to such brazen camouflaged
threats.
We
may be a small country but we are not small-minded and will not take orders
especially from those who neither understand us nor understand whence we came.
In a nutshell, our resolve and tenacity come from years of exile and hardships
we have endured to forge a New Rwanda.
Back
to the Congressmen’s demands: they argue that Rusesabagina, 67, should be
released on humanitarian grounds because he is a cancer survivor, a recipient
of a Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Green Card holder, therefore a permanent
resident of the US. Do I hear a violin playing in the background!
Paul Rusesagina being taken to court
So
what! He is also an avowed genocide denier, a negationist, and a convicted
felon. Surely, before he embarked on his terrorist activities he was well aware
of his medical condition.
I do
NOT mean to be heartless. But, you do the crime, you do the time. Osama Bin
Laden is said to have been diabetic, but that did not stop the US from taking
him out. Give me a break.
Someone
forgot to remind the Congressmen that Rusesabagina is a Rwandan citizen and
therefore his status in the US has no bearing on crimes he committed in Rwanda.
Their twisted argument is weak and not legally sound.
It
is alleged Rusesabagina has not received the medical attention his medical
condition requires. Let it be known that he was among the first Rwandans to
receive a vaccine for Covid-19. As a convicted felon he will receive treatment
that other prisoners get. No more, no less. And for that matter, Rwandans with
cancer do not receive the treatment they would otherwise receive at, for
instance, Md Anderson Cancer Center. That is the reality.
In
arguing in favor of Rusesabagina people tend to forget his victims. All in all
nine people lost their lives and scores more are enduring physical and
psychological trauma they have to deal with for the rest of their lives.
Rusesabagina can spend the next twenty fives years pondering over the
consequences of his actions.
Congress woman Young Kim
And
as for being kidnapped, baloney. Before he boarded the private plane he neither
reserved nor paid for, he was sipping champagne in the VIP lobby at the Dubai
airport, jolly as a drunken sailor.
And
how do you kidnap a fugitive from justice? You lure them, entice them to be
where they can be apprehended, and in the end there is hardly a crime
committed.
On
May 23, 1960, Adolf Eichmann the Nazi war criminal was kidnapped by Mossad in
Argentina. The world did not shed any tears and there was no opposition to the
brazen James Bond type takedown. The US carries on these operations daily and
the world looks the other way.
Rusesabagina’s
downfall was unlike most. His ego and momentary Hollywood fame clouded his
reasoning, and now he must face the music. At a time when the world is actively
pursuing the war on terror, the double standard applied to Rwanda is a sham,
unfair, and should be taken for what it is: one standard for the West and
another for Africa.
Source: www.rwandanvoice.com