RWANDA: INITIATIVES TO COUNTER TORTURE

UNCLAS KIGALI 000428

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL/MLGA KRISTEN MCGEENY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA: INITIATIVES TO COUNTER TORTURE

REF: STATE 070129


1. (SBU) Responding to reftel, in years past allegations of
abuse and torture centered on Rwandan prisons and police
stations. As recorded in our recent Human Rights Reports for
Rwanda, the Rwandan prison service and Rwanda National Police
(RNP) have made great strides in eliminating mistreatment of
prisoners and detainees. Local human rights organizations
such as FACT Rwanda have worked with the police and the
prisons on abuse cases, and offered extensive training on
torture and abuse issues. The local ICRC office gives both
institutions high marks for professionalizing its treatment
of those under custody, and for greatly reducing the
incidence of mistreatment. The Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF)
maintain a much smaller prison and military justice detention
system; it, too, has greatly improved and professionalized
its treatment of those in custody. All infantry battalions
deployed to UNAMID in Darfur undergo USG ACOTA-supervised
training programs, which include components on the law of war
and international humanitarian law. The ICRC has its own
program on international humanitarian law which it conducts
with RDF peace-keeping battalions. The National Human Rights
Commission has general responsibility within the government
to monitor the implementation and observance of various human
rights obligations under the Rwandan constitution as well as
international treaties and conventions.


2. (SBU) There is as yet no specific anti-torture mechanism
in place, as required by the Convention Against Torture
(CAT). Rwanda has also been somewhat dilatory in meeting its
reporting requirements under the CAT. As Rwanda ratified the
CAT on December 15, 2008, it has until next December 15 to
put such a mechanism in place.


SYMINGTON