Rwanda: Concern over journalist's arrests
Ntezimana, an official with the Association Modeste et Innocent (AMI), an organisation promoting non violence in Rwanda, and director of its magazine Ubuntu, and Mr Muremangingo, chief editor of Ubuntu, were arrested on 26 and 27 January, respectively, in Butare and detained in the city's central prison. While the reason for the arrests remains unclear, Mr Ntezimana and Mr Muremangingo have reportedly been questioned over the activities of their organisation and their use of the word "ubuyanja", a term which was also used by former president Pastor Bizimungu in setting up an opposition party that is now outlawed.
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From: World Association of Newspapers (WAN), [email protected]
Subject: WAN-WEF protests sent 1.2.02
Date: Friday, February 01, 2002 1:20 PM
The Right Honourable Jean de Dieu Mucyo
Justice Minister
Kigali, Rwanda
C/o Permanent Representative to UN
Email: [email protected]
1 February 2002
Dear Minister,
We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the
World
Editors Forum, which represent more than 18,000 publications in 93
countries, to
express our serious concern at the arrest of journalists Laurien Ntezimana
and
Didace Muremangingo.
According to reports, Mr Ntezimana, an official with the Association Modeste
et
Innocent (AMI), an organisation promoting non-violence in Rwanda, and
director
of its magazine Ubuntu, and Mr Muremangingo, chief editor of Ubuntu, were
arrested on 26 and 27 January, respectively, in Butare and detained in the
city's central prison. While the reason for the arrests remains unclear, Mr
Ntezimana and Mr Muremangingo have reportedly been questioned over the
activities of their organisation and their use of the word "ubuyanja", a
term
which was also used by former president Pastor Bizimungu in setting up an
opposition party that is now outlawed.
We respectfully remind you that if the arrest of Mr Ntezimana and Mr
Muremangingo is indeed related to their journalistic activities, it is a
clear
breach of their right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by
numerous
international conventions. Furthermore, the United Nations Commission on
Human
Rights considers that "detention, as punishment for the peaceful expression
of
an opinion, is one of the most reprehensible ways to enjoin silence and, as
a
consequence, a grave violation of human rights".
We respectfully call on you to ensure that Mr Ntezimana and Mr Muremangingo
are
immediately released from prison and that all charges against them are
dropped.
We urge you to ensure that in future Rwanda fully respects international
norms
of free expression.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Roger Parkinson
President
World Association of Newspapers
Gloria Brown Anderson
President
World Editors Forum
cc: Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations
Mrs Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO