By David Himbara
At Hearing, Rep. Chris Smith Questions President Kagame’s Role in Killings, Disappearances
WASHINGTON, DC (May 20, 2015) – Democracy in Rwanda Now (DIRN), a non-profit, non-governmental organization, on Wednesday praised the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations for urging an investigation into Rwanda’s human rights record and President Paul Kagame’s role in a series of troubling events including killings and disappearances of dissidents.
Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ) called some of the recent reported abuses “serious crimes” and said the international community needs to take a “very aggressive look” into what President Paul Kagame’s complicity was in the disappearances and killings of dissidents. “If there are death squads being deployed to kill the diaspora and political opponents…we need to get to the bottom of this,” he said.
The chairman made the remarks at a hearing Wednesday called “Developments in Rwanda,” which he called to examine “persistent, credible reports of human rights abuses by this government both inside and outside the country,” and “how this reality impacts US policy toward Rwanda.”
“Any investigation into the assassinations, attempted assassinations and disappearances of Kagame dissidents is welcome news,” said one of the hearing witnesses David Himbara, a former top economic aide to Kagame and coordinator for the North American branch of DIRN. “I applaud Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Karen Bass for their leadership on this very serious and important issue. The Rwandan people deserve to live in a free and democratic society without fear or repression.”
In addition to Himbara, other witnesses at the hearing included Robert Higiro, a former Rwandan army major who fled the country when he was ordered to assassinate Rwandan dissidents living in South Africa; Robert Jackson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs; Sarah Margon, Washington Director for Human Rights Watch; Steven Feldstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; and Willis Shalita, a photojournalist and blogger.
In his testimony, Himbara raised concerns over the number of Kagame’s political opponents who have been threatened or have disappeared. In February alone in Kigali, leading businessman Assinapol Rwigara was killed in a “mysterious” traffic accident and Dr. Emmanuel Gasakure, President Kagame’s former personal physician, was killed in a police station, Himbara said.
The US State Department has warned of the government’s extrajudicial killings and repressive environment several times, such as in its 2013 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, stating that Rwanda has “major human rights problems,” including “arbitrary or unlawful killings both inside and outside of the country, disappearances, torture [and] arbitrary arrests.”
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Democracy in Rwanda Now (DIRN) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that promotes democracy, free speech and human rights for Rwandans.
CONTACT
David Himbara
Democracy in Rwanda Now (DIRN)
dhimbara@hushmail.com
democracyinrwandanow.org
