NEWSPAPER DIRECTOR ARRESTED, ARRAIGNED ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KIGALI 000049

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/C, DRL, AF/PD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM PHUM PREL RW
SUBJECT: NEWSPAPER DIRECTOR ARRESTED, ARRAIGNED ON
DIVISIONISM/SECTARIANISM CHARGES


1. (SBU) Summary. On Friday, January 19, Agnes Nkusi-Uwimana,
director of the Kinyarwanda-language newspaper, "Umurabyo"
was arraigned on charges of divisionism and sectarianism
stemming from recent articles in the paper that appeared to
minimize the genocide or advance the notion of a double
genocide. Nkusi-Uwimana also faces one unrelated charge of
fraud for writing a bad check. Nkusi-Uwimana's arrest on
January 11 followed both public sanction by her fellow
journalists and a recommendation by Rwanda's High Council of
the Press (HCP) that her paper be suspended. Nkusi-Uwimana's
arrest, coming at a time when her fellow independent
journalists have levied increasingly harsh criticisms of the
lack of political space in Rwanda without government
sanction, indicates that the GOR remains particularly
sensitive to the issues of ethnic divisionism and
sectarianism, and genocide iDdology. End Summary.


2. (U) In issue 10 (December 8-22) of "Umurabyo,"
Nkusi-Uwimana published an article under the headline "Those
Who Killed Tutsi in Trouble; Those Who Killed Hutu in Total
Freedom," and with the subtitle "It will be difficult for
Rwandans to differentiate a 'Hutu Interahamwe' and a 'Tutsi
Interahamwe.'" The article, which was widely interpreted
locally to be equating killings by RPF soldiers with the
killings that took place during the genocide, caused an
immediate stir among local journalists and led them to call
the author, Agnes Nkusi-Uwimana, to explain herself before a
gathering of her peers on December 12. The unprecedented
meeting was organized by an ad-hoc committee of five
journalists led by Charles Kabonero, director of Rwanda
Independent Media Group (and editor of both "Rwanda Newsline"
and "Umuseso") and a leading government critic. Also on the
committee was a second vocal government critic, Jean Bosco
Gasasira, editor of "Umuvugizi" newspaper. The committee
criticized Nkusi-Uwimana for her lack of professionalism, for
tarnishing the reputation of journalists in Rwanda, and for
printing a revisionist article. The group called on her to
issue an apology and corrections in the paper's next issue.
Nkusi-Uwimana agreed to do so.


3. (U) The action taken by the journalists appears to have
been the outgrowth of a seminar on media self-regulation
organized by the Association of Rwandan Journalists in
conjunction with the PANOS Institute. The journalists
intended through their prompt action to demonstrate that they
can effectively regulate themselves and to forestall further
sanction by the HCP or GOR authorities. The HCP concluded,
however, that the article was so offensive that further
punishment was warranted. On December 15, the HCP accused
Nkusi-Uwimana of discrimination and defamation and forwarded
to the Information Minister its recommendation that the paper
be suspended for three months. Though some journalists
reacted to the HCP's recommendation with disappointment (not
because they did not find the article offensive, but because
the HCP did not respect their attempt to police themselves),
others believed that "Umurabyo" should be suspended. The HCP
twice before has recommended that papers be suspended; in
both instances, the Information Minister declined to do so.
In this instance the Information Minister has yet to render a
decision.


4. (U) Instead of writing the corrections and apology that
she had agreed to, Nkusi-Uwimana wrote in issue 11 (published
on January 1, 2007) an open letter to all newspaper directors
operating in Rwanda, urging them not to fear "those who do
not like the truth, and do not be scared by the RPF's
corrupted and criminal officials." She went on to reiterate
her claim that those who killed Hutus during the genocide
remain free, and castigated high-profile GOR and RPA
officials, categorizing them by Hutu and Tutsi origin, and
calling them dogs and prostitutes. The police arrested
Nkusi-Uwimana on January 11 at the request of the Prosecutor
General's office. Following her arraignment, Nkusi-Uwimana
was transferred to Kigali's Central Prison where she will
remain until her trial begins (per Rwandan law, she can be
held up to thirty days between arraignment and the start of
her trial).


5. (SBU) Comment. "Umurabyo" is a recently established,
twice-monthly newspaper with low circulation. Nkusi-Uwimana
has little editorial experience, having worked in marketing
for a rival news publication. While this is the first time

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the HCP has recommended that "Umurabyo" be suspended, it is
not the first time it has come in for criticism from the
body. According to Patrice Mulama, executive secretary of
the HCP, Nkusi-Uwimana previously published a wholly
fabricated interview with President Kagame. Nkusi-Uwimana's
current troubles have taken place in the context of a general
loosening of restrictions on the press in Rwanda. "Focus,"
"Umuseso," and "Newsline" all opened 2007 with strongly
worded criticisms of the lack of political space in Rwanda
and, in the case of sister papers "Newsline" and "Umuseso",
direct criticism of Kagame for stifling dissent and
exhibiting dictatorial tendencies. These articles (and
similar comments on Rwandan radio) have not provoked any
criticism from the HCP or the GOR. The contrasting responses
suggest that the GOR will continue to respond with a firm
hand to what it regards as ethnic divisionism or genocide
ideology while loosening its grip on other forms of
criticism.
ARIETTI