IGIHE has learnt that Sheikh Nshimiyimana lured the boy with gifts to sodomize him at different times.
RIB spokesperson, Dr. Murangira B. Thierry has confirmed to IGIHE that Sheikh Nshimiyimana has been arrested as investigation is underway.
“The arrested man is detained at Nyamata RIB station as investigation is underway to make files that will be transferred to the Prosecution. The boy he is suspected to have defiled was taken to Nyamata Hospital for medical checkup and gather evidences that will be used during court proceedings,” he said.
Dr. Murangira said that such acts won’t be tolerated and reminded the public to provide information to prevent the crime.
“RIB would like to remind Rwandan residents that they should not cover defilement suspects. Whoever commits the crime should face justice. It should be a collective responsibility of every Rwandan to completely prevent the crime,” he noted.
IGIHE has also learnt that Sheikh Nshimiyimana was an Imam of Ngoma mosque in Huye district 2014 before becoming an Imam of a mosque in Bugesera district since 2019.
Upon conviction, article 133 of Rwanda’s penal code stipulates that a person who commits child defilement is liable to imprisonment for a period of not less than 20 years and not more than 25 years, if the victim is 14 years or older.
If child defilement is committed on a child under fourteen (14) years, the penalty is life imprisonment that cannot be mitigated by any circumstances.
Marcel Hitayezu, who was born in 1956, was charged with Genocide and being an accomplice to crimes against humanity, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office in France said on Friday.
According to AFP, he was arrested on Wednesday at his home in Montlieu-la-Garde, southwestern France.
Prosecutors said Hitayezu was the priest at a church in Mubuga, in Southern Rwanda, when the Genocide took place and in April 1994 withheld food and water to Tutsis who had sought refuge in his church. He instead gave food to extremist Interahamwe militiamen who attacked the refugees, prosecutors added.
“Marcel Hitayezu denied the charges at his initial appearance before a judge,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Rwanda had sought to extradite Hitayezu but France’s Court de Casation, the country’s highest criminal court, in 2016 rejected the request, as it did similar requests by Kigali for others suspected of having taken part in the Genocide that took lives of over 1 million victims.
French authorities had launched a probe into Rwanda’s accusations against Hitayezu in July 2019, three years after the extradition request.
“He was until Wednesday vicar to the priest at the Montlieu-la-Garde church,” the regional archdiocese told AFP.
According to the daily La Croix, Hitayezu spent three years in refugee camps in Eastern Congo before arriving in France in 1998 or 1999. He was given refugee status in France in 2011.
“It’s excellent news,” Alain Gauthier, who has spent years hunting down people living in France suspected of having taken part in the Genocide, told AFP on learning of the arrest.
Gauthier in 2001 also co-founded an association, the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs for Rwanda.
“The church must examine how it gave responsibilities to people suspected of having taken part in the Genocide,” Gauthier added.
Another priest who has taken refuge in France, Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, was also accused of being implicated in the 1994 Genocide. But his case was dismissed by the courts in France.
Munyenyezi arrived in Rwanda last night on 16th April 2021 around 7am, onboard KLM aircraft.
Munyenyezi was brought to Rwanda by two immigration and emigration officials in USA who handed over the suspect to Rwandan counterparts.
She was shortly arrested by Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) for further legal process.
The Acting spokesperson of RIB, Dr. Murangira B. Thierry has told the media that Munyenyezi is facing seven charges linked to her role in Genocide and crimes against humanity.
“Munyenyezi faces charges of manslaughter as Genocide crime, preparation of Genocide, direct or indirect mobilization to perpetrate Genocide, conspiracy during Genocide, extermination as a crime against humanity and conspiracy to commit rape,” he said.
Munyenyezi has been deported to Rwanda after completing 10-year sentence handed by US court for making false statements on her role during Genocide against Tutsi to obtain nationality.
Munyenyezi and her children fled to Kenya after Genocide against Tutsi. He applied for US refugee status in 1995 disguising as one of people affected by Genocide.
Munyenyezi settled in Manchester, New Hampshire, with three young daughters in 1998 after claiming to have been persecuted in Rwanda.
She was granted US nationality in 2003.
Ten years later, she was stripped of US nationality on 21st March 2013 after Manchester Court in New Hampshire State convicted her of complicity during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi and making false statements to obtain nationality.
She appealed against the ruling in 2017 but the decision was retained.
Munyenyezi was married to Arsène Shalom Ntahobali who was convicted of complicity in Genocide against Tutsi and handed life sentence by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
Munyenyezi is a daughter-in-law of Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, the former Minister of Family and Women’s Affairs between 1992 and 1994 who was also handed life sentence.
During Genocide, Munyenyezi was a student at the National University of Rwanda (NUR). She was also a member of the ruling party, MRND.
Dr. Murangira has said that the woman was seen at different roadblocks checking identities of women and girls to be given pass or not.
When she identified a female Tutsi, Murangira explained, Munyenyezi requested Interahamwe militia to rape them at Ihuriro Hotel where Pauline Nyiramasuhuko lived.
Munyenyezi is also of accused of participating in meetings preparing Genocide and pronouncing words mobilizing killings of Tutsi.
“She once shot dead a nun using Pistol after ordering Interahamwe to rape her. She was raped at the hotel,” said Dr. Murangira.
Munyenyezi perpetrated these crimes in former Commune Ngoma, Prefecture Butare in the current Huye district.
She becomes the 5th Genocide suspect, USA deports to Rwanda following Enos Iragaba Kagaba in 2005, Jean Mary Vianney Mudahinyuka in 2011, Marie Claire Mukeshimana in 2011 and Dr. Léopold Munyakazi in 2016.
Munyenyezi, 51, has three children. She was taken to RIB station in Remera from where his files will be transferred to the Prosecution.
The request was made yesterday on Thursday 15th March 2021 during a ceremony to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi and according decent burial to 98 remains of Genocide victims at Ruhanga memorial in Rusororo sector.
These remains were recently exhumed from different parts of Gasabo district.
Ruhanga is among places holding unique history where Tutsi resisted Interahamwe militia using traditional arms. They however ended up being killed as Interahamwe sought interventions from soldiers to kill Tutsi.
As the soldiers came, Tutsi were taken inside the Anglican Church in the area where they were killed and burnt using fuel.
During the ceremony, the representative of IBUKA, organization umbrella of genocide survivors in Gasabo district requested authorities to build a wall bearing names of Tutsi killed during Genocide so that they can be remembered easily and preserve history.
“We cannot forget killed relatives when we see names written somewhere. Building a wall bearing their names would help us, friends and future generations to remember them easily,” he said.
The executive secretary of Gasabo district, Umwali Pauline has told IGIHE that they are going to make plan so that the requested wall can be built.
“It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure proper maintenance of memorials, organizing commemoration events. We have understood their request and the next move is to see what we can do in the right using available resources,” she explained.
Located at the former Anglican Church, Ruhanga Genocide Memorial accommodates remains of 37 747 genocide victims excluding 98 remains buried yesterday.
Munyenyezi is expected to arrive in Rwanda this Friday 16th April 2021.
Munyenyezi fled to USA in 2003 where she requested political refugee status.
Ten years later, she was stripped of US nationality on 21st March 2013 after Manchester Court in New Hampshire State convicted her of complicity during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
During trial proceedings, the court explained that Munyenyezi helped Genocide perpetrators to spot Tutsi at the road block set near a hotel of her father-in-law in Butare.
The court also identified her as one of key members of the then ruling political party, MRND that planned and executed Genocide against Tutsi.
Munyenyezi and her children fled to Kenya after Genocide against Tutsi. He applied for US refugee status in 1995 disguising as one of people affected by Genocide.
Munyenyezi settled in Manchester, New Hampshire, with three young daughters in 1998 after claiming to have been persecuted in Rwanda.
She caught the attention of the US authorities several years later after giving false testimony on behalf of her husband and mother-in-law who were later sentenced to life in prison for genocide and other crimes against humanity by an international tribunal.
The grenade blasted on Thursday 15th April 2021 morning when the boy climbed onto the rooftop of their house to fix a roofing tile.
As he reached the rooftop, he saw a cord fastened to a metal object which he took down and played with it.
His sister and mother warned him against playing with the object which shortly started exuding smokes.
The executive secretary of Gacurabwenge sector, Christine Nyirandayisabye has told IGIHE that the victim immediately threw the object to a nearby avocado tree and exploded instantly.
The boy was injured on the shoulder and arm, on the belly around the waist. He was immediately taken for medical attention.
Local leaders rushed to the scene where they realized that it was a grenade that had been laid on the roof of their house.
Nyirandayisaba appealed to the residents to alert local leaders in case they find strange objects and avoid playing with them.
“We would like to comfort residents and reassure that their security is guaranteed. We also advise them against playing with strange objects,” she said.
The duo includes Manirahari Innocent who died immediately and Ndirinde Emmanuel who survived with leg injuries.
The incident took place last night around 10pm in Nyakabanda village, Rwangara cell, Cyanzarwe sector, Rubavu district in Western Province.
The Second-In-Command (2IC) of 201 Brigade operating in the districts of Rubavu, Nyabihu, Ngororero and part of Rutsiro, Lt Colonel Innocent Mpabuka has advised residents against crossing through illegal entries to avoid incidences including loss of life.
“You should stop crossing through porous entry points. Some people pass behind our backs but we won’t tolerate that because it might provide loopholes for FDLR present in the neighboring country. They might maneuver using similar paths to cross into the country. You have rights to cross through legal entries. So, crossing through porous entries poses security threats. Let us abide by regulations and shun such behaviors because we don’t want to shoot our citizens,” he said.
The mayor of Rubavu district, Habyarimana Gilbert, has also requested residents to avoid crossing through the valley because they might be confused with the enemy.
“I hope you are aware of what takes place over there. It is unfortunate to have fellows threatening security. There are well known smugglers in this area. You have witnessed what happened but some might not have learnt from the incidence. We held discussions last time and agreed to discontinue such acts. As you see, one has died and another survived with leg injury. This shows that the country is protected. Continuous use of illegal entries is like committing suicide because they might be confused with enemies,” he said.
The latest incident took place on 26th October 2020 when a resident was shot crossing into Rwanda through the valley between both countries.
Another man aged 38 and a woman in the age bracket between 30 and 35 were shot in the same area in May 2020.
Marizamunda was appointed by yesterday’s cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro which also reviewed existing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The cabinet meeting also made new appointments in different institutions including Rwanda National Police, correctional and rehabilitation bodies among others.
Marizamunda was transferred to Rwanda National Police (RNP) from Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) in 2014. He was at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at the time.
Marizamunda was replaced by Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza who has been serving as the RCS Deputy Commissioner General.
The mother of two was born in Rulindo district on 30th December 1967. He was transferred to RCS from RDF at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Ujeneza joined the military in 1988.
Among others, Fred Mufulukye who was the Governor of the Eastern Province has been appointed the Director General of the National Rehabilitation Service (NRS).
He replaces Aimé Bosenibamwe, who passed away last year.
Rtd Commissioner of Police (CP) Faustin Ntirushwa has been appointed the Deputy Director General of NRS.
Other institutions that got new appointees include Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and the Ministry of Justice among others.
Gen Sekamana resigned yesterday in a letter he wrote to FERWAFA’s committee citing personal reasons.
“Considering the fact that supervising football body nowadays requires me lot of time and effort because it is important to monitor it day by day. This requires me to do it as a daily routine. I find that combining it with my other personal responsibilities would have had a negative impact on the development of football,” he said.
Brig Gen Sekamana thanked FERWAFA committee for trust bestowed upon him and teamwork spirit during his stay in office.
Sekamana became Ferwafa president in 2018 after obtaining 45 votes out of the 53 votes in an election beating his rival Louis Rurangirwa who got 7 votes.
He replaced Vincent ‘De Gaulle’ Nzamwita who resigned in January 2018 due to personal reasons after running the federation for 4 years.
(Rtd) Brig Gen Sekamana resigns eight months before ending his tenure.
Marcel Habyarimana, who is a Vice President in the federation, will serve as interim President until March next year as stipulated by FERWAFA laws in article 31.
Ranked 2nd most peaceful country in the EAC by GPI 2020, 2nd in the Sub-Saharan Africa region by the Economic Freedom Index report 2020, 3rd globally among peacekeeping top troop contributing countries, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a country that was able to suppress the COVID-19 early, Rwanda’s progress is attributed to President Paul Kagame’s strong and effective leadership.
Besides the prevailing peace and progress, however, Rwanda has not been in short of campaigns by armed groups in the region including but not limited to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Rwanda National Congress (RNC), and particularly FLN; the military wing of Paul Rusesabagina’s MRCD, which instigated terrorism attacks, killed and injured unarmed innocent civilians in Nyabimata in June 2018.
In fact, Rusesabagina had premediated these attacks. On 28 Jan 2016 at Voice Of America (VOA), he publically declared that he was going to take political action to liberate the Rwandan People from President Paul Kagame’s dictatorship.
Later, in his own words, he also affirmed in a video recalled in early 2019, but still available online, that the attacks marked the launch of liberation struggle against the Government of Rwanda. He also reiterated that FLN launched a military struggle to liberate the Rwandan people and insisted on the sense of urgency to speed it up in 2019.
In effect, pursuant to 2018 Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority’ (NPPA) arrest warrant, Rusesabagina was put under arrest after luring himself and his plane landed in Kigali and voluntarily alighted. His charges include financing terrorism, murder, abduction, robbery and arson, etc, as acts of terrorism in connection with his MRCD/FLN attacks in Nyabimamata.
These attacks were acknowledged by different state actors including Belgium and USA (where is a national and resident respectively) whose Departments of State’s Travel Advisory on Rwanda urged travelers “to exercise increased caution along the Rwanda-Burundi border due to armed conflict”.
In spite of the crimes Rusesabagina has to answer, his supporters, particularly the members of the European Parliament passed a resolution implying, among other things, to release Paul Rusesabagina. Similarly, some members of the USA Congress like Carolyn B. Maloney, addressed a letter to President Paul Kagame requesting to release him with immediate effect. Both requests reflected may be their ignorance of the matter, partisanship and or double standard.
Undoubtedly, members of EU Parliament as well as some members of US Congress who promote the release of Paul Rusesabagina understand the legal implication of terrorism crimes and are fully aware that the intent of the counter-terrorism acts in their jurisdictions like the US Patriot Act to deter and punish terrorist acts in their jurisdictions is the same aspiration Rwanda is pursuing in the case of Rusesabagina.
So, releasing Rusesabagina as the EU Parliament and some members of USA Congress like Carolyn B. Maloney purport, would be doing a disservice to Rwanda, particularly the victims of Rusesabagina’s MRCD / FLN actions and nurturing a norm that would support subsequent culture of violence.
More importantly, Rusesabagina’s case also contains an extraordinarily sensitive charge: Arson as an act of terrorism as MRCD/FLN used fire as mass scale coercion and violence to ensure greater degree of risk to human lives in Nyabimata.
Arson has a profound, sensitive and tragic meaning in the history of violence in Rwanda. It was a great weapon used in 1959, 60s and 70s to chase away and force the Tutsi to exile and deadly internal displacement and was massively used in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to speed it up and create greater impact in terms of mass murder of Tutsi and destruction of their properties.
Rusesabagina’s MRCD/FLN usage of incendiary attacks to create greater impact on human lives in Nyabimata reminded the traumatizing arson attacks also dubbed Palestian intifada against Israel in November 2015 that were later condemned by the USA through the Secretary of State John Kerry who also warned Mohamed Abbas against arson attacks. The September 11, 2001, terrorism attack on the World Trade Center are also examined in terms of the impact of the improvised incendiary device, the airplanes, on the World Trade Center buildings.
Undoubtedly, if the EU Parliament and some members of US Congress like Carolyn B. Maloney, would be asked if it was the right thing to do to release with immediate effect those responsible of the September 11, 2001 in the US or elsewhere in Europe, their answer would be a big No.
Again, if they would be asked if holding accountable Bin Laden wouldn’t be a charm trial as they describe Paul Rusesabagina’s case, their answer would be NO. Rather they would appreciate a campaign to dismantle terrorist organization like Al-Qaeda and their networks. So, subordinating national security to someone’s terrorist crimes isn’t tolerable by any nation state especially when the offender acts exactly in the spirit of a Genocide that killed more one million lives.
Most surprisingly, the EU parliament members’ description of Rusesabagina’s own luring to Rwanda as kidnapping represents double standard. Rusesabagina lured himself after being led by his friend to board a private jet to Rwanda while his destination was Burundi. This reminds a similar case that happened in Europe and it wasn’t called “kidnapping”.
On 19th March 1991, Walter Stocké from German was arrested in France over fiscal charges in his home country after his friend M. Köster who was in contact with the police in Germany, led him to board a private jet to German while his destination was Luxemburg and Walter Stocké was immediately arrested. It is quiet s questionable why the EU Parliament didn’t refer to Walter Stocké’s case to serve as jurisprudence as it does even today in Europe.
Most alarmingly, Rusesabagina had consistently denied the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and Rwandan authorities had previously issued another international arrest warrant against Rusesabagina, but in vain, as he continued to enjoy the red carpet in the most of Western countries.
On 11 January 2018, in Northwestern University Community for Human Rights (NUCHR), USA, in a conference on Human Rights, Rusesabagina was a keynote speaker and denied the genocide against the Tutsi and purported the double genocide theory. He endeavoured to convince the audience that the” Genocide against the Tutsi was not planned and executed and that it was just a mere war between Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups”.
He did the same on 26th April 2008, in a conference in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands where Rusesabagina held at fault the victims of the genocide in 1994 genocide against the Tutsi that they were responsible for their own harm and demise. He made the case that the “roadblocks where Tutsis were singled out and executed were manned by Tutsis infiltrated by the RPF”.
Surprisingly, most western countries where Rusesabagina was denying genocide, prohibit the denial of genocide as it is an integral and final part of the genocide that lasts throughout and had all ratified the Genocide convention. It is in the spirit of this, for example that Facebook, Inc decided recently it would begin removing Holocaust denial posts from Facebook and Instagram. So, it imperative to observe the same principle with regard to the Genocide against the Tutsi.
However, if one would attempt to profile Rusesabagina, the details of the situation he is in today connects with earlier event quickly transformed into a platform that made Rusesabagina internationally famous: Hotel Rwanda, a film, not a historical record, but a fictionalized depiction of a story in which Paul Rusesabagina claim all credits that he saved 1267 lives under the scourge of the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
After the release of Hotel Rwanda, Rusesabagina was awarded with numerous international human rights awards including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity, National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award, etc.., and was praised by everyone including George Bush who portrayed him an “extraordinary great man”.
However, Rusesabagina and Hotel Rwanda, received repulsive criticism. Eyewitness that include UNMIR peacekeepers whose mandate also included “contributing to the security and protection of displaced persons, refugees and civilians at risk”, despite not being up to the task, have what they saw: For example Major Stefan Stec, one of the UN observers who was staying at the hotel during the genocide, reported that Rusesabagina at one point gave the Rwandan army the names and room numbers of the most threatened Tutsi refugees.
In addition UNAMIR’s force commander Romeo Dallaire dismissed the film as “not worth looking at”. At one point in time after the release of the Film, Romeo Dalaire told a conference: “I would like you to acknowledge the role played by those UNAMIR troops who stayed in Rwanda, including the troops from Congo-Brazzaville who were the ones who saved the people at the Hotel Mille Collines – not the hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina”.
Similarly, survivors from the hotel Mille Collines said that the manager was an opportunist who had made them pay for everything in the hotel even though Sabena Airlines, which owned the hotel, had sent him a fax instructing him not to.
While, many would appreciate some traditions which work well elsewhere particularly in the US and Europe, specifically their antiterrorism principle to “to deter and punish terrorist acts”, it should not be compromised by any institution or individuals as especially in the case of Rusesbagina his terrorism acts happened in the spirit of Genocide against the Tutsi which the offender also denies consistently.
Some Western State actors are recognized for prohibiting denial of the genocides. For Example, Canada, in 1985 the Ontario government in Canada prosecuted Ernst Zundel, for distributing a Holocaust denial pamphlet. On 26 January 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted without reservation any denial of the Holocaust. The Genocide against the Tutsi was officially recognized by the UN and Rusesabagina’s acts of terrorism were instigated in the spirit of that Genocide. Both should be deterred and punished and no one should be led to lies that contravene the world shared principles that work for all us.
{ {{Emmanuel Mugiraneza, the writer, is a public servant at Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), interested in international affairs & Holds a Masters Degree in International Relations & Diplomacy}} }
