17.10.14 – WEEKLY SUMMARY – KAGAME ACCUSES BBC OF DENYING THE GENOCIDE, RWANDAN PRIEST ACCUSES FRENCH MEDIA

Arusha, October 17, 2014 (FH) – In Kigali, Rwandan President Paul Kagame accused the BBC of denying the 1994 genocide. Meanwhile in Paris, a Rwandan priest accused French media of violating his right to be presumed innocent.

1 min 16Approximate reading time

RWANDA/MEDIABBC accused of denying genocide: Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday accused the BBC of denying the anti-Tutsi genocide of 1994. This came after it broadcast a documentary that included serious allegations against him. Speaking at an official ceremony in Kigali, Kagame said such a documentary could never have been made about Bosnia or the Holocaust, and accused the British broadcaster of not caring about the victims. In the documentary, entitled “Rwanda’s untold story”, Kagame is accused of having ordered large scale massacres of Hutus before, during and after the 1994 genocide.

RWANDA/JUSTICEWitness about-face in Bandora trial: A prosecution witness in the trial of Charles Bandora on Monday caused a stir by claiming he had been manipulated by prosecutors. Bandora, the first genocide suspect to be transferred to Rwanda by a European country (Norway), is charged with genocide and extermination. Witness Emmanuel Baziga, who worked for Bandora, in 1994, claimed that the accusations against his former boss had been made up.  RWANDA/FRANCEFather Wenceslas accuses French media: Catholic priest Wenceslas Munyeshyaka is taking legal action against France Télévisions and producers of the France 3 programme “Pièces à conviction” (damning evidence) for “violation of the right to be presumed innocent”. Munyeshyaka is under investigation for alleged involvement in the 1994 genocide. He accuses these media of having presented him as guilty before any trial. At a hearing on Wednesday, his lawyers called for 30,000 Euros in damages, the removal of the programme from the Internet and the publication of the judgment in the next issue of the programme and in two newspapers. The court is due to announce its decision on November 26.  NEXT WEEK ICC: The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is to sit on Tuesday in the case of former Congolese militia leader Mathieu Ngudjolo, who was acquitted by the lower court.  ER/ JC