At the time when the United Nations was commemorating, this past Apr. 7, the 12th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, the mourning of the victims and their families wasn't over. Many members of the Rwandan diaspora still fight against what they call impunity for the perpetrators. Some press for the deportation of Léon Mugesera, a Rwandan settled in Quebec City who is accused of helping incite the genocide, and others refuse to see the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, set foot on Canadian soil for a conference at the end of April.
The association Page Rwanda, which represents Rwandan diaspora in Canada, blamed the Canadian justice system last week for not following through with its decision to deport Mugesera, who has been found guilty of inciting the 1994 genocide in a fiery speech. Page Rwanda vice president Paulin Nteziryayo denounces Mugesera's continued presence despite a nine-month-old Supreme Court ruling to deport him to Rwanda.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has asked Rwanda not to apply the death penalty for individuals convicted of participating in the genocide, but the Canada Border Services Agency has suspended Mugesera's expulsion until Rwandan authorities clearly determine whether he might face execution.
Judicial Vacuum
Mugesera's legal proceedings began in June 1995 before an immigration tribunal. He had been arrested after revelations from an international investigation commission declared him guilty of inciting genocide and crimes against humanity. After 11 months of hearings, Mugesera and his family were to leave Canada after a failed bid for refugee status.
But Mugesera used every means possible to stay in Canada, and in September 2003, federal justice Robert Décary overturned the deportation order. "There is nothing in the evidence," he wrote, "which could make one think that Mr. Mugesera would have, deliberately, under the guise of anecdotes and other images, incited murder, hatred or genocide."
The appeals continued, however, until the Supreme Court upheld the deportation order on Jun. 28, 2005, and concluded that Mugesera had indeed incited his fellow Hutus to violence.
Other Revolt, Same Wound
During the commemorations of this sad anniversary, other voices rose against Rwandan president Paul Kagame's upcoming trip to Montreal, where he will be the guest of honour at a conference on education and development in Africa on Apr. 25 and 26.
His opponents intend to ask Prime Minister Stephen Harper to refuse him a visa. But, says Foreign Affairs Canada spokesperson Ambra Pickie, "Paul Kagame is coming to Canada on a private visit, not an official visit." She says Canadian government financing of the conference's organizer, the Canadian Council on Africa (CCA), is not a consideration.
Virulent Accusations
Canadians originally from the African Great Lakes see in Kagame the "greatest war criminal in office." Congolese, Rwandan, and Burundese expatriates are asking the CCA to cancel Kagame's invitation.
The CCA sees things differently.
"Mr. Kagame is invited has the head of the COMESA, a common market of 20 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa which has 375 million inhabitants," says CCA president Lucien Bradet. "He does a lot in the domain of education in Rwanda."
The online agency Grands-Lacs Confidentiel (GLAC) goes further in its accusations. It says that Placer Dome, a branch of Canadian mining company Barrick Gold, is one of the sponsors of the conference. GLAC adds that Canada's former Liberal government "had refused to receive Kagame," who has been a powerful figure in Rwandan politics since 1994. Bradet, meanwhile, says, "the budget of the conference in around $200,000. Ottawa contributes less than 20 percent and the private sector's share is minimal."
The GLAC states in a press release that Paul Kagame is not only the main culprit behind the Rwandan genocide in 1994, but—with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni—also a major architect of the war of occupation, depopulation, and exploitation of the Congo that has already killed more than 5 million people since 1998.
According to the GLAC, the CCA conference this month is only an excuse for a meeting between the Rwandan president and multinational companies who seek an entry into Congo. It lists on its website some Canadians firms it says would be concerned.
This article, including all interviews, was translated from the French-language original that appeared in La Grande Epoque, the French-language version of The Epoch Times. Original available at: http://french.epochtimes.com/news/6-4-10/3996.html .
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