MONTHLY POLITICAL ROUNDUP

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000380

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM RW
SUBJECT: MONTHLY POLITICAL ROUNDUP

REF: A. KIGALI 323

B. KIGALI 369

Classified By: Amb. Arietti for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (U) This edition of the monthly political roundup
includes:

- Minister of Information Battles Independent Media

- RPF Meets on Genocide, Defense of Government Policy

- Spillover of Spanish Indictments

- Genocide Fugitive Reaches Out to GOR?

- National Electoral Commission on Track

- ICTR Panel Turns Down First Case Transfer


Minister of Information and Independent Media - Tensions
Continue
-------------- --------------


2. (SBU) There continued to be fallout from the expulsion of
three independent Rwandan journalists from a May 2 event
commemorating World Press Freedom Day by Minister of
Information Louise Mushikiwabo (ref A). International press
freedom groups including Reporters Without Borders and the
Committee to Protect Journalists issued press releases
condemning the action and citing government "contempt" for
the press as particularly high in Rwanda. Mushikiwabo
defended the move in interviews with pro-government
newspapers The New Times and Focus, and in a debate with
Charles Kabonero, an expelled journalist, broadcast on BBC
radio. Mushikiwabo was critical of international press
freedom organizations, saying they "lacked objectivity." She
called for increased professionalism among journalists in
Rwanda and promised to "put an end to business as usual" for
independent journalists who published "lies and blackmail."


3. (SBU) Discussions in Parliament of the draft media law
formed the backdrop to ongoing tensions between the Minister
of Information, independent journalists, and international
press rights bodies. The draft law preserves libel as a
criminal offense, but does narrow defamation of public
officials to three categories -- Rwandan head of state,
foreign heads of state, and heads of diplomatic missions and
international organizations in Rwanda. It sets a minimum
capital amount of 6 million Rwandan francs (approximately
10,000 USD) for Rwanda newspapers to be registered, despite
objections from some members of Parliament.


4. (C) Comment: The Minister of Information's hard-line
stance on independent journalists, focused on their supposed
unprofessionalism and hostility to the Rwandan government,
show a certain stubborn unwillingness to appreciate how the
issue plays abroad (despite her 23 years in the U.S.) --
Rwanda is winning no friends for itself on the issue of
freedom of the press. End comment.

RPF Political Bureau Meets
--------------


5. (C) The political bureau of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic
Front (RPF) convened May 10 and discussed changes to the
Rwandan constitution, RPF communication strategy, and the
nomination of candidates to the East African Community
Legislative Assembly (EACLA). Over protestations from
Minister of Justice Tharcisse Karugarama and Ombudsman Tito
Rutaremara, the assembled members agreed to seek amendment to
the Rwandan constitution, officially naming the 1994 genocide
the "Tutsi genocide." President and party head Paul Kagame
was supposedly "astonished" by opposition to the proposed
change, which he argued reflected the truth of the 1994
tragedy. Kagame also reportedly used the forum to encourage
RPF members to "stand and defend" Government of Rwanda (GOR)
QRPF members to "stand and defend" Government of Rwanda (GOR)
policies against foreign criticism and to "defend national
interests with confidence." Party members also nominated
candidates to the EACLA, all of whom were elected by
Parliament two days later.


6. (C) Comment: Decisions by the RPF Political Bureau, under
the strong leadership of President Kagame, generally become
government policy in short order; first the party decides,
then the government and its multi-party cabinet. The reach
of the RPF's rhetorical shift regarding the ethnic dimensions
of the genocide can already be seen in the local media's
increasing use of the term "Tutsi genocide." While perhaps
historically defensible and an example of the GOR's concern
over the indictments issued by the French and Spanish judges,
which are seen here as reflecting the power of some in the
Hutu diaspora to either deny that a genocide took place or
insist that it was a "double genocide," such a shift does not
bode well in a society in which reconciliation and the
creation of a new, ethnicity-free national identity are
primary goals. End comment.

Spanish Indictments Create Problems Elsewhere
--------------


7. (SBU) Minister of Foreign Affairs Rosemary Museminari
canceled a May 7 visit to Belgium after the government there
said a member of her delegation, Lt. Col. Joseph Nzambwita,
could be arrested upon arrival due to his presence on the
list of Rwandans indicted by a Spanish judge (ref B).
Shortly after the cancellation, the pro-government New Times
carried a story on the issuance of Belgian visas to Rwandans,
calling the process "inhuman." A follow-up editorial on the
topic suggested Belgium should adopt a visa issuance model
similar to that of the U.S. and cautioned against maintaining
a process they deemed "a colonial hangover."


8. (C) Comment: The Spanish indictments are proving to be
more than an abstract affront to the GOR's sense of
sovereignty and stance against universal jurisdiction --
real constraints are emerging for government delegations
traveling to Europe and elsewhere. Other nations'
obligations under their own legal systems to evaluate the
French and Spanish indictments and grant them some pro forma
validity is brusquely rejected here. GOR irritation is
palpable, and has the potential to create new diplomatic and
political tensions. End comment.

Norway? No way
--------------


9. (U) Felician Kabuga, sought by the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for his role in financing the 1994
genocide, was reported by African Press International, an
online media source, to be in Norway and willing to negotiate
his surrender to the GOR instead of having his case heard by
the ICTR in Arusha. GOR officials said they had not received
any formal communications from Kabuga or his representatives,
nor from the Norwegian government. They dismissed the idea
of holding talks with Kabuga to broker his return to Rwanda
and cautioned that the report may have been false. The ICTR
maintains Kabuga continues to hide in Kenya. According to
media reports, the Government of Kenya recently froze some of
Kabuga's assets located there.


10. (U) Comment: The report of Kabuga's presence in Norway
has not been confirmed by other sources and it may well be a
hoax. Kabuga or those who assist him in Kenya may have
planted the story as a distraction to efforts to track him
down there. End comment.

National Election Commission reports good progress
-------------- --------------


11. (SBU) In a May 29 meeting with donors, officials from the
Q11. (SBU) In a May 29 meeting with donors, officials from the
GOR National Election Commission (NEC) presented an update of
their accomplishments and remaining tasks ahead of the
September 15 legislative elections. The NEC has adopted and
begun implementing an election calendar and voter education
campaign. It is working to recruit and later train 62,000
electoral agents who will assist in the conduct of the
elections across 15,000 polling stations. Voter registration
continues apace, with an estimated 4.7 million voters
eventually to be registered electronically. The GOR has
funded over 70 percent of the NEC's budget, and international
donors have committed to fund the gap.


12. (SBU) The NEC plans to invite election observers from
sister NECs in other African countries as well as from local
and international NGOs and the donor community (some 2500
election observers monitored the 2003 legislative elections).
Political parties will also be able to participate in
election monitoring at polling stations. Groups not invited
to observe by the NEC will be subject to an accreditation
process that NEC officials said had not yet established but
that would "be in line with international standards."


13. (SBU) NEC officials invited donors to attend regular
consultations with the NEC and to offer advice and
suggestions. They further encouraged donors to keep the NEC
informed of events as the elections approach. "You will know
things we do not -- please share them with us," said the NEC
Commission Chairman. Finally, they emphasized the importance
of continued financial assistance to meet their budgetary
gaps.

ICTR Judges Reject First Attempt to Transfer Case to Rwanda
-------------- --------------


14. (U) In a May 28 decision, a three-judge panel of the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) denied the
application by ICTR Prosecutor Hassan Jallow to transfer
Yussuf Munyakazi to Rwanda for trial. The panel cited three
main reasons for denying the application: technical problems
with Rwanda sentencing structure, the inability of Rwanda to
ensure a fair trial, focusing particularly on a lack of
judicial independence, and problems with witness protection
programs in Rwanda. The court did cite with approval
Rwanda's "positive steps" to facilitate referral, and hoped
that the ICTR would, "if Rwanda continues along this path,"
be able to refer future cases.


15. (SBU) Pol/Econ Chief spoke briefly on May 29 with
Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama about the ICTR panel
decision. In a subdued tone, Karugarama called the decision
"unjustified" and "unfair," but noted his government's
requirement to "respect the court's decision." Karugarama
said he assumed that Jallow would file an appeal in the case,
and the GOR would participate, as it had at the initial
hearing, with the filing of a friend-of-the-court brief.


16. (C) Comment. Sections of the ICTR legal panel's legal
opinion cite Rwanda's continuing fulminations against the
French and Spanish judges, who indicted senior Rwandans for
war crimes, as evidence of the GOR's antipathy to judicial
independence -- a conclusion that will likely both appall and
flabbergast the Rwandan government. As other transfer cases
before other panels of judges at the ICTR are yet to be
heard, we do not think we will see angry denunciations of the
ICTR - yet. End comment.













ARIETTI