International
Pegasus: Amnesty International and Co. up smear campaign against Rwanda
Rwandans are well
acquainted with people mud-slinging their country and its leadership almost on
a daily basis. But the most recent accusations by Amnesty International relayed
by some of the global north media that the Rwandan government is using the Israeli
Pegasus technology to target its critics is the craziest.
One of their
alleged victims is Carine Kanimba, stepdaughter of Paul Rusesabagina, former
hotelier now on trial in Rwanda for terrorism-related crimes. In “Hotel Rwanda activist’s daughter placed
under Pegasus surveillance” dated July 19, The London-based publication,
The Guardian, wrote: “Carine Kanimba, the American daughter of Paul
Rusesabagina, the imprisoned Rwandan activist who inspired the film Hotel
Rwanda, has been the victim of multiple attacks using NSO spyware, according to
a forensic analysis of her mobile phone, although Rwanda denies it has the NSO
technology.”
The Guardian
describes Rusesabagina, a man accused of sponsoring terrorism against Rwanda,
as an activist. This is intentional and misleading. It is also not the first
time The Guardian is involved in relaying harmful anti-Rwanda propaganda. It
alleges that “the American daughter of Paul Rusesabagina, ...has been the
victim of a near-constant surveillance campaign,” citing a forensic analysis of
her mobile.
It is preposterous
and outlandish of Amnesty International and The Guardian to spread this
propaganda without any evidence. Furthermore, NSO Group has categorically
rejected Amnesty International false claims in the report. It said that many
are uncorroborated theories that raise serious doubts about the reliability of
its sources as well as the basis of this story.
A commentator on
social media wrote: “I read this article so that you don’t have to – the crux
of this piece of conjecture is the suggestion that an Israeli spyware could
only be a Kagame government weapon. It’s an irresponsible reach amidst
disproven comparisons of that Belgian and Oskar Schindler.”
The Rwandan
government denied it has this technology. Nevertheless, The Guardian goes on to
allege that “the Kagame government - which has long been suspected of being a
client of the Israeli Surveillance firm NSO – has been able to monitor the
28-year old’s private calls and discussions with US, European and British government
officials.” This allegation underestimates the intelligence of the readers who
see through the above accusation as just speculative because it is
unsubstantiated.
By the way, this
technology is not cheap. It is estimated that it costs between $7 and $8
million per year to acquire it. Amnesty International and the global north
media want you to believe that the Rwandan government is so profligate to the
extent it can squander all those huge sums of money to track such
little-nobodys like Kanimba or others. The latter mentioned in these reports
include David Himbara, a propagandist for the terrorist group, Rwanda National
Congress (RNC), who lives in Canada.
The Rwandan
government has other pressing issues and has devoted the meager resources it
has to better the welfare of its population in providing quality healthcare,
education, and catering for other amenities to its population.
Rwandan Foreign
Minister, Dr Vincent Biruta, rejected the Amnesty International accusations
saying that they are part of an ongoing campaign to cause tensions between
Rwanda and other countries, and to sow disinformation about Rwanda domestically
and internationally. It is not the first time that such spurious allegations
linking Rwanda to the use of the NSO technology are used.
In November 2019,
President Paul Kagame told reporters that Rwanda, like all countries, collects
intelligence on enemies to try to see ahead what might happen in future. He
insisted that it cannot go as far as using that NSO technology, which he said
was also costly.
As for the efforts
by Kanimba and her family to see her stepfather released, they have used a
plethora of tactics which so far have yielded nothing. One of their methods is
using lies to create shock and horror in hope that the Rwandan government will
be put under pressure to release him. First, they claimed that he was
kidnapped, then drugged, shackled, and brought to Rwanda. They later said that
he was being tortured in a slaughterhouse-like cell.
Because of her
constant lies about her father’s treatment in Rwanda, Kanimba has earned the
nickname of “Queen of Lies” on social media. When all this did not work, they then spread
falsehoods that Rusesabagina has been deprived of food, water, and medication.
But the US State Department through the American Embassy in Kigali debunked
their lies saying that Rusesabagina was being well-treated.
This Amnesty
International Pegasus report and stories in various publications is another
stunt that will end up like previous ones. Rusesabagina cannot be released
regardless of the defamation campaign against the Rwandan government.
Apart from the
global north media’s noise about Rwanda's alleged spying on Kanimba, this smear
campaign exposes Amnesty International's double standards. Where was Amnesty
International's outrage when, recently,
on the eve of the US President Joe Biden's visit to Europe, the US used Denmark
secret services to spy on EU leaders?