Open letter to the Kingdom of The Netherlands

I am writing this letter, first of all, to express my appreciation to The Netherlands for the recent decision to extradite genocide fugitive Venant Rutunga, a former director at ISAR Rubona. ISAR-Rubona was an agriculture Institute in Southern Rwanda. Rutunga was one of the masterminds of killings during the genocide against the Tutsi at ISAR. The surviving members of Rutunga’s victims got a sigh of relief by his extradition as they waited for justice to prevail. 

However, there are still many other genocide fugitives still living free in The Netherlands. I will not mention all the names in this letter but I want to remind The Netherlands of one old lady by the name of Dusabe Therese who lives in Zevenhuizen, a town in the south of The Netherlands.

On February 19, 2009, Gacaca courts sentenced Dusabe to life imprisonment for “disembowelling pregnant Tutsi women and removing the foetuses which she would smash to death in a horrendous manner.” The Executive Secretary of Gacaca jurisdictions Domitilla Mukantaganzwa disclosed Dusabe’s actions in 2010 which shocked many Rwandans.  Dusabe was a midwife at Butamwa health center during the genocide against the Tutsi.

Dusabe collaborated with the Bourgmestre (mayor) of Butamwa Commune, Stanislas Ruberangondo, to prepare and chair all meetings that planned the attacks and killing of the Tutsi in the area. Dusabe was nicknamed "the doctor of death" for her cruelty.

She was jointly sentenced to life imprisonement alongside Sebastian Muhizina, for their role in masterminding the Genocide by calling for meetings and sensitizing the Interahamwe militias to kill the Tutsi. There are several key witnesses against Dusabe, some in prison and local residents like Patricia who was Dusabe’s neighbor in the village of Butamwa.

Although the Butamwa health centre is still operating, many pregnant mothers fear giving birth at the facility because of the traumatic history of Dusabe. They prefer to travel longer distances to other health centers. The residents of Butamwa village and many other Rwandans cannot imagine that a person like Dusabe can be given asylum by The Netherlands with her hands dripping with the blood of the innocent children she smashed on walls and their mothers killed in a brutal way - splitting open their wombs like a butcher slaughtering an animal! It is estimated that Butamwa lost more than 8,000 people during the genocide and Dusabe was among the ring leaders who enthusiastically supervised the killings.  

By this letter, I am representing many voices requesting for the extradition of Dusabe Therese as soon as possible, so that her victims can get justice. I am very much confident that the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands of 1814 as amended to 2002, upholds justice and the rule of law for all irrespective of nationality. Dusabe should not be granted asylum when the voices of her innocent victims are crying for justice.

Dusabe did not only go against the medical profession ethics  by killing her patients;  as a mother herself, she betrayed society values on motherhood, the kindness and love to the little babies; she killed their mothers as well, and she took part in the genocide against the Tutsi.  Genocide is a crime against humanity. It was not committed against the Rwanda people alone. As such, the Kingdom of The Netherlands has a responsibility to ensure that justice prevails. Justice delayed is justice denied.

The extradition of Dusabe Therese to be tried in Rwandan courts will be a great contribution to the global effort to fight impunity and to provide justice to the victim of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. 

Sincerely,

Kagabo J.

Concerned Rwanda citizen whose relatives were killed by Dusabe Therese.

CC:   Tweede Kamer,

          Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands- Kigali

          Dutch National Police- the International Crime Unit