12.04.07 - RWANDA/JUSTICE - LIPRODHOR WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE GENOCIDE’S SURVIVORS

Arusha, 12 April 2007 (FH) – The main Rwandan organization for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LIPRODHOR) is concerned about the safety of the genocide’s survivors in a news release received by the Hirondelle Agency on Thursday. The Association s deplores “the violations of the right to life seen in certain regions of the country, aimed at the genocide’s survivors as well as the witnesses before the Gacaca courts” in charge with trying most of the persons suspected responsible for the genocide, indicates the text signed by the President of the Organization, Augustin Gahutu. “The security services should increase their alertness and their strategies in order to prevent acts of violence registered in certain provinces of the country”, the Organization recommends. While delivering insights into the situation of Human Rights in Rwanda, the LIPRODHOR also affirms that “some independent newspapers like Umuco and Rushyashya are accused of an ideology of genocide and of separatism without relevant evidence, in order to muzzle them”. “To preserve the freedom of press and enable journalists to keep on working freely, police and prosecutors should accelerate investigations concerning suspects of intimidation and threats and publish the results of these investigations”, LIPRODHOR advises. The organization warns the Rwandan government of “the problem of babies living in precarious situation” with their imprisoned mothers. According to the LIPRODHOR, “the Ministry of Justice should reconsider the possibility of paroling convicted mothers who served the quarter of their sentence as well as granting provisional releases to those who are waiting for their trial”. According to the Organization, last year Rwandan prisons, which received about 90,000 detainees, held 182 babies living in the same conditions than their mothers. ER/PB/CV © Hirondelle News Agency