American Lawyer Professor Peter Erlinder is holding a press conference on Friday October 22, 2010 on his indictment by the Rwandan Government for “genocide denial.”
In a statement sent to the media, and of which AfroAmerica Network has obtained a copy, Professor Peter Erlinder says: “After arresting would-be Presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire six days ago, Rwanda’s Chief Prosecutor Martin Ngoga announced he intends to prosecute her former lawyer and UN Rwanda Tribunal Defense Counsel, U.S. Law Prof. Peter Erlinder, for “genocide denial” based on articles written in the U.S. and published on the internet (AP 10/21). Rwanda jailed Erlinder in May, who was released after an international campaign. Ingabire is now in the same cell.”
Below is the entire release. You may find our articles on Peter Erlinder case and his imprisonment in Rwanda by visiting http://www.afroamerica.net in our World Events Pages.
++NEWS ADVISORY++
International Humanitarian Law Institute
Prof. Peter Erlinder, Director
875 Summit Av.
St. Paul, MN 55102/651-290-6384
WHAT: Press Conference, Prof. Peter Erlinder
WHERE: Wm. Mitchell College of Law, 875 Summit Av., St. Paul, MN
WHEN: Friday, October 22, 2010, 10 am.
St. Paul – Oct 21 -
“Before my arrest, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair helped create the myth that that the Kagame dictatorship had changed. Both Madame Ingabire and I were misled, reality of the situation in Rwanda has become clear.”
“After my release, the banning of all serious political opposition, the beheading of the vice-President of the Green Party, Madame Ingabire’s arrest, the assassination of journalists, the attempted assassination of Mr. Kagame’s former Chief of Staff who defected to South Africa, the assassination of another ICTR defense counsel and Kagame’s “election” with 93% of the vote caused the Obama White House to question the state of democracy in Rwanda for the first time:
‘…a series of disturbing events prior to the election including the suspension of two newspapers, the expulsion of a human rights activists, the barring of two opposition parties from taking part in the election, and the arrest of journalists…[S]tability and prosperity will be difficult to sustain without broad political debate and open political participation…” Democracy is about more than holding elections…’”
“On August 28, LeMonde and the New York Times leaked a 600-page UN report detailing crimes of Kagame’s troops in the Congo between 1993-2003, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The same crimes Chief ICTR Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte’s says were committed by Kagame’s troops Rwanda in 1994. Her 2009 memoirs explain how she was fired by the State Department in 2003 when she refused to follow U.S. orders not to prosecute Kagame’s RPF, despite having evidence of their crimes, including the assassination of two presidents.”
“These UN documents also confirm that the evidence that acquitted my client of ‘conspiracy and planning to commit genocide’ in a Feb. 2009 ICTR Judgment, described a much larger reality about the actual source of 30 years of violence in Central Africa. And, if there was no long-term planning and conspiracy, the victor’s story of the “Rwandan genocide” must be re-examined. This is my ‘crime.’”
“But, my prosecution has larger implications, as well. If UN immunity does not apply to any prosecution of defense counsel by the Kagame government, a government the former Chief ICTR Prosecutor and the UN, itself, both confirm is led by criminals and has been committing mass crimes for decades, meaningful representation of any UN Tribunal defendants will be impossible.”
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