COMMUNIQUE
The Pan African Movement-Rwanda has learnt with great concern the arrest of a Rwanda’s Head of National Intelligence and Security Services, Lt. Gen. Karenzi Karake by the UK metropolitan Police. The arrest was carried out Saturday, June 20th 2015 at Heathrow International Airport as the General about to board the plane to fly back home.
A Spanish judge on whose behalf the arrest was conducted had in 2008 issued an arrest warrant for the liberator along with 39 other senior Rwandan military officers of RPA that stopped the genocide against the Tutsi when the whole world had abandoned Rwanda.
Basing on a quick scan of the issues surrounding Lt. Gen. Karake’s arrest, the Pan African Movement – Rwanda would like to highlight the following inconsistences:
It has come to our notice:
1. That the Spanish special court (“Audiencia Nacional”) that handles such cases in Spain, dismissed the arrest warrants because the Spanish law which was enacted in June 2013- removed the competence from the Spanish Court to handle such crimes.
2. That Interpol has declared that has not issued any arrest warrant to any of the 40 senior Rwandan military officials;
Basing on the above, one can conclude that no Interpol member has the legal competence to arrest any of the 40 senior Rwandan military officers. It is unbelievable, perplexing and unacceptable indeed!
The Pan-African Movement–Rwanda strongly condemns this arrest of Lt. Gen. Karake’s that is legally baseless, disgraceful, scandalous, outrageous and humiliating to the African dignity and one can argue politically motivated for luck of other explanations.
The Pan African Movement – Rwanda is deeply concerned about the degrading treatment of people of African descent from the days of slave trade, colonization, apartheid and neo-colonialism where selective justice is the weapon used under the principle of Universal competence. What other explanation can one get as to why the ICC, International Criminal Court, has indicted only African leaders?
The Pan African Movement – Rwanda, demands immediate release of Lt. Gen. Karenzi Karake and an apology from UK government to the people Africa and Rwandanese in particular.
Signed by;
Hon. MUSONI Protais
Chairperson
Pan African Movement-Rwanda
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