Arcadia Foundation

Rwanda. A nation geopolitically renowned for its great strides in finding economic prosperity from the ruins of 1994.

We haven’t discussed much in the tone of Rwandan human rights on this site. That changes today. Enter lawyer Peter Erlinder, an American political prisoner of the Rwandan government who was detained under false charges on May 28th, just one week after his client, the opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was jailed.

Despite a formal request from the U.S. State Department that Rwanda immediately release Erlinder, things have only gotten worse, as the judge has rejected all motions for bail, extended his remand for another 30 days, while Erlinder’s own defense attorney has been chased from the country fearing his own detention.

“There has been a lot of theatrics surrounding this case, but the fundamental issue at stake is whether Rwandans believe it is permissible for Genocide defenders and deniers to threaten the hard-won stability and harmony they have built in 16 years,” Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo said in a statement released by her office.Mushikiwabo said that the Rwandan people ‘overwhelmingly answer no‘ the right of Erlinder and ‘his co-conspirators‘ to ‘peddle lies and conspiracy‘, adding their activities threaten the rights of Rwandans to heal and prosper.

“The Prosecution of Peter Erlinder is not a political tactic; it is an act of justice. If critics disagree with the Rwandan laws against the denial or defence of Genocide, we invite and welcome that debate,” she added.

This attack against Erlinder has provoked a widespread sense of fear and vulnerability on behalf of lawyers who participate in the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR), established by the United Nations in 1994. Members of the International Criminal Bar, of which Erlinder is a member, have issued a strong condemnation of Rwanda’s conduct, demanding the immediate release of the prisoner. “How can international criminal courts operate effectively if defence lawyers are at risk of being arrested for what they say on behalf of their clients?,”said Amanda Pinto of the ICB. “This affects all defence lawyers at the ICTR, but the issues are potentially the same for defence counsel anywhere in the international forum.”

“The Government of Rwanda takes no pleasure from Mr. Erlinder’s plight, but this needs to be understood; flagrant and orchestrated breaches of our Genocide ideology laws will be met with the full force of the law,” Mushikiwabo said.

Last week, Mushikiwabo said that Rwanda would not short-circuit legal procedures and release the lawyer, despite a request by the United States to release him on compassionate and humanitarian grounds.

She added that the country will have to take Erlinder through the procedures to answer charges against him, and at the same time consider his ongoing health concerns.

The eyes of the world are slowly turning back to Rwanda; despite American condemnation, this politically-motivated saga continued to unfold.

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