Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights has been releasing sham reports about Rwanda, the western based watchdog has turned itself into a serious critic and controller of the Rwandan government rather than focusing on delivering on its mandate.
The watchdog recently released a 91-page report about Rwanda that reported Beatings, Asphyxiations, Electric Shocks, Mock Executions to Extract Confessions, unlawful detention and ill-treatment in Rwanda, this report was drafted without basing on facts on the ground but rather based on some individuals interest; Lead by its Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth Roth, a person that has showed extreme hatred on Rwanda, this makes the outcomes of his institution reports obvious. It makes me wonder whether the watchdog is a Human Rights Watch or a Rwanda Government Watch.
Keeping tabs on Rwanda; it is on record that Rwanda is a secure and safe country, after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which claimed over one million Tutsi in 1994, Rwanda has come of age, it sacrificed everything to build up strong security organs lead by its Armed forces both Army and Police to make sure that Rwanda is a secure place where anyone would wish to be in the world, a place where citizens sleep with assurance that they will wake up safely the following day and do their business; but it has not been the case with Kenneth Roth’s Watchdog, it has always seen Rwanda as country that does only torture and illegally detain its citizens despite all that the government has achieved as far as citizen welfare and human rights are concerned; moreover this poses a big question, where was Human Rights Watch when Tutsi were being murdered in Rwanda? Over to you Kenneth Roth.
Ignorance of facts on the ground by the Human Rights Watch; Continued false reporting on Rwanda has always been the watchdog’s “to do list”; referring on this year’s Rwanda Governance Board’s Citizen Report Card, it shows high level of the citizen trust of the country’s security forces which includes Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) and Rwanda National Police (RNP), the reports shows the citizen trust up to 98% and 96% respectively making it one of the highest in the world. These are facts on ground which can be verified even by the watchdog but it decides to ignore them and publish otherwise.
Unspoken human rights being violated across the world; People have been dying in terror attacks, gun attacks in France, German, Belgium, Spain and most recently in the United Stated of America, where a gunman walked into a night club and opened up fire to innocent people, close to fifty people were reported dead; with its so called mission “To become a voice of Justice”, the Human Rights Watch did not mention anything about the tragedy, talk of the recent attack in capital Mogadishu that claimed lives of over 300 people, where was Human Rights Watch, where is their so called voice of justice. We have had so many cases around the world where wars claims people’s lives and people’s rights are at stake but still the Watchdog has decided to extend its vacation on Rwanda criticising the obvious.
Phony child soldier report; the watchdog once reported in its biased reports that the Rwanda Government was recruiting children its army, as its legacy of publishing baseless allegations that could not even be verified by the watchdog, the leadership of Rwanda Defense Forces proved them wrong and published the details of all servicemen and women serving within the armed forces as well as the recruits that showed all were above the age that had been reported in the Watchdog child soldier report; this did not go down well with the watchdog it rather sparked another era of war of words and biased reports tarnishing the Rwandan Government’s image worldwide.
Rwanda is not heaven, yes It can happen, there can have a one or two case scenarios where people can be arrested or even delay arraigning them before courts of law, this can be verified and deal with the individuals in charge so as to respect people’s rights and abide by the law.
One or two cases cannot be based on to mislead the public by publishing fake reports about Rwanda, Rwanda is country that respects the rule of law, all people are equal no one is above the law, every offender faces justice through legal procedures in place and have a right to get a lawyer in line with respecting the defendant rights as stipulated in the Rwandan Penal Code; Despite the fact that Human Rights Watch is keeping an eye on Rwandan government, Rwanda does not violet any Human rights, it’s a country that has a credible and fair justice system that deals with all law offenders regardless of their influence and status; Rwanda has set the record straight when it comes to holding people accountable for their deeds; whatever being reported by Human Rights Watch is false and its only being motivated by certain individuals’ interest whose aim is to destabilise Rwanda.
Reports of Beatings, Asphyxiations, Electric Shocks, Mock Executions to Extract Confessions as claimed by the Human Rights Watch is utter wrong, unverifiable and baseless, the western based watchdog has showed interest in tarnishing Rwanda’s image and diminishing Rwanda’s developmental progress. Justifying the watchdog’s existence and budgets does not lie in publishing sham reports about Rwanda. I see the watchdog as a Rwanda Government Watch rather than being a Human Rights Watch.
This article represent by Sam A. Sewanyana is a Political Analyst and IT Expert
The Express News
