New York - Kigali, 23 March 2009 - Between 17 and 19 March the UN Human Rights Committee examined the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Rwanda. This was the first review since the 1994 genocide.
The Ligue des droits de la personne dans la région des Grands Lacs (LDGL) and the Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR Centre) took this opportunity to submit a report on the situation in Rwanda.
This report highlights that the traditional gacaca courts set up to try the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide do not comply with the State's obligations under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this context the Committee mentioned their “serious concerns about the gacaca courts”, particularly with reference to the impartiality and independence of these courts. The Committee was also concerned about the rights of the accused, particularly access to a lawyer.
Joseph Sanane Chiko, President of the LDGL emphasised that “there is no shortage of examples of serious irregularities, which call into doubt the proceedings of the gacaca courts”. He recalled that “François Xavier Byuma, a renowned human rights defender, was recently condemned to 17 years in prison after a trial which made a mockery of the process”.
The recent abolition of the death penalty in Rwanda is a positive development, but must be put in the context of the introduction of life imprisonment in solitary confinement. The LDGL and the CCPR Centre observe in their report that this penalty should be considered a violation of the Covenant's prohibition on cruel or inhuman treatment. Patrick Mutzenberg of the CCPR Centre is alarmed that “the Minister of the Interior has decided that persons condemned to life imprisonment may not receive family visits during their imprisonment”. The Human Rights Committee also raised this issue.
The Human Rights Committee has repeatedly stressed the right to enjoy the freedoms of association and expression, which remain matters of concern. The NGOs have identified several restrictions to these rights imposed over the past months, which illustrate the current problems.
The conclusions and recommendations of the Human Rights Committee will be made public at the end of the session, on 3 April 2009. Rwanda must implement these recommendations as rapidly as possible in order to comply with its international obligations.
The Ligue des droits de la personne dans la région des Grands Lacs (LDGL) and the Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR Centre) took this opportunity to submit a report on the situation in Rwanda.
This report highlights that the traditional gacaca courts set up to try the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide do not comply with the State's obligations under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this context the Committee mentioned their “serious concerns about the gacaca courts”, particularly with reference to the impartiality and independence of these courts. The Committee was also concerned about the rights of the accused, particularly access to a lawyer.
Joseph Sanane Chiko, President of the LDGL emphasised that “there is no shortage of examples of serious irregularities, which call into doubt the proceedings of the gacaca courts”. He recalled that “François Xavier Byuma, a renowned human rights defender, was recently condemned to 17 years in prison after a trial which made a mockery of the process”.
The recent abolition of the death penalty in Rwanda is a positive development, but must be put in the context of the introduction of life imprisonment in solitary confinement. The LDGL and the CCPR Centre observe in their report that this penalty should be considered a violation of the Covenant's prohibition on cruel or inhuman treatment. Patrick Mutzenberg of the CCPR Centre is alarmed that “the Minister of the Interior has decided that persons condemned to life imprisonment may not receive family visits during their imprisonment”. The Human Rights Committee also raised this issue.
The Human Rights Committee has repeatedly stressed the right to enjoy the freedoms of association and expression, which remain matters of concern. The NGOs have identified several restrictions to these rights imposed over the past months, which illustrate the current problems.
The conclusions and recommendations of the Human Rights Committee will be made public at the end of the session, on 3 April 2009. Rwanda must implement these recommendations as rapidly as possible in order to comply with its international obligations.
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