Regional
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.