Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR)
Talleyville/Delaware 19803, USA
05.05.01
To Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
To His Excellency Kofi Annan
Secretary General of the United Nations
United Nations Plaza, S-3800
New York, New York 10017
To Honorable Cynthia McKinney
124 Cannon Building
Washington, DC 20515
To General Colin Powell
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
To Rudolph Giuliani
Mayor of the City of New York
The city of New York
Office of the Mayor
New York, NY 10007
To Jendayi E Fraser
Special Assistant to the President
And Senior Director for African Affairs
National Security Council
Washington, D.C. 20504
Honorable President:
Honorable Congresswoman:
Mr. Secretary General:
Mr. the Secretary of State:
Honorable Mayor:
Mr. Special Assistant to the President:
It is with great shock that the Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda, Inc. (OPJDR) learned that Mr. Anastase Gasana was accredited as the new Rwandan Ambassador to the United Nations Organization. In fact, Anastase Gasana is the founder of the notorious Interahamwe, accused of genocide in Rwanda 1994. Besides, he was one of the prominent officials and leaders of the Rwandan Government during the massacres of more than two hundred thousand Rwandan Refugees in Eastern Congo and tens of thousands of Rwandan civilians inside Rwandan since 1994.
OPJDR has always believed that the United Nations Organization, the City of New York and the United States of America Government cannot harbor alleged criminals, especially those accused of such horrendous crimes. The OPJDR calls on the United Nations Organization, the US Administration, and the City of New York to take all appropriate measures to transfer Mr. Anastase Gasana to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania in which he should be prosecuted for his crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
OPJDR would like to bring to your attention some of the facts regarding Mr. Anastase Gasana and his criminal record.
Mr. Anastase Gasana, as Advisor to the president on the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND) under the regime overthrown in 1994, created the notorious Interahamwe, a militia that the international media, the United Nations Organization, the US Administration and other institutions, organizations and observers have accused of carrying out the genocide of Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.
The United Nations Organization Secretary General should recall that when he visited Rwanda, it is Mr. Anastase Gasana, then Foreign Affairs Minister who introduced him to the Rwandan National Transitional Assembly. In his speech he accused the Secretary General of causing the genocide of Tutsi in Rwanda.
In 1996-1997 the Rwandan Patriotic Army invaded the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United Nations decided then to send a force to help Rwandan Hutu Refugees who vanished in forests. Mr. Anastase Gasana dissuaded the international community, arguing that all Rwandan Hutu refugees had returned. During the invasion, around 200,000 Rwandan Refugees were butchered by the Rwandan Patriotic Army and the Rwandan government militia. The United Nations, the USA, and European Union confirmed the massacres and the Rwandan Patriotic Army admitted to these crimes. These crimes were called "acts of genocide" by the International Non-Government Independent Commission set up by the United Nations to inquire on crimes committed in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
As one of the most prominent members of the current Rwandan Government since 1994, Mr. Anastase Gasana must also be held responsible for the massacres, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by the government. These crimes include by are not limited to the following.
Massacre of unarmed civilian at Kibeho, prefecture of Gikongoro. UNAMIR, non-government organizations and international news media witnessed this massacre. More than 8,000 people died. The Rwandan Government urged the international community to accept the death toll of three hundred people. RPA soldiers removed dead bodies at night and took them at other locations so that international news media and non government organizations could not count them.
Massacres of tens of thousands unarmed Hutu civilians, mostly women, children and elderly, by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, in Kanama in October-November 1997. The Rwanda Patriotic Army accepted the responsibility for these crimes, but none was punished or even prosecuted for these crimes against humanity. To repair the tarnished image of the Rwandan regime, Colonel Ibingira who ordered this massacre was sentenced to one year of under house arrest.
Massacres of tens of thousands of unarmed civilians, mostly women, children and elderly in the caves of Nyakinama, Bugoyi, in 1998. The international media and the international community confirmed the massacres and Rwandan Patriotic Army admitted to the crimes. Massacres of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hutu civilians villagers, mostly young boys, women, children, and elderly in the villages across Ruhengeri and Gisenyi in 1997-1998, by the Rwandan Patriotic Army. The international community confirmed the massacres. When the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, visited Rwanda, she said the human rights situation in Rwanda was bleak and she turned her criticism on the government. Mr. Gasana defended the killing of civilians by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (BBC News , December 8, 9, 27, 1997).
Summary executions of the soldiers of the ex-FAR (Forces Armees Rwandaises) and their families after they returned from the refugee camps of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania from 1996. Those who escaped assassination are rotting in jail.
Extrajudicial executions of detainees by members of the security forces some of which have been documented by Amnesty International, for example:
Execution of 12 detainees at Muyira solitary confinements, prefecture of Butare on January 14, 1997,
Executions of more than 20 detainees at Gisovu dungeons, prefecture of Kibuye on January 23, 1997.
Execution of six detainees at Runda dungeons, prefecture of Gitarama on February 14,1997.
Execution of 10 detainees at Maraba dungeons, prefecture of Butare on May 7, 1997.
Execution of 15 detainees at Gatonde dungeons, prefecture of Ruhengeri. Execution of six detainees at Ndusu dungeons, prefecture of Ruhengeri on May 10, 1997.
Execution of 95 detainees at Rubavu dungeons and an unknown number at Kanama dungeons.
The disappearances of many Rwandan citizens (journalists, businessmen and ordinary people) and the detention of Rwandan citizens in private houses.
The killings of foreign nationals such as three Spanish employees of the non government organization Medicos del Mundo killed on 18 January 1999; Father Guy Pinard, a Canadian killed on February 2, 1997, Father Curick Vjechoslav of Croatia assassinated in Kigali in 1998, and Father Duchamp, a Canadian.
During Mr. Anastase Gasana's tenure, the Rwandan Government has detained 4,554 minors for allegedly taking part in the genocide. Some were arrested when they were as young as 8 years old. The children who were under 14 years old when they were arrested have been sharing overcrowded filthy prisons with adults.
To accelerate the decimation of the Hutu, the Rwandan Government, during Mr. Anastase Gasana's tenure, has resorted to two strategies. One has consisted of rounding up Hutu males and sending them to prison for allegedly participating in the genocide of Tutsi. Today 135,000 Hutu live in filthy crowded prisons where they die of epidemics slowly. Some have had legs amputated and others have lost feet or toes. The second strategy is round up able body Hutu young males and send them to the front in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after receiving minimal military training. Mr. Anastase Gasana has always defended the policy as spokesperson and high ranking official of the Rwandan Government.
Mr. Anastase Gasana as one of the prominent officials of the Rwandan Government is responsible for crimes against humanity, genocide, and violations of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The criminal record of the Rwandan Government and army has been documented by reputable human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and FIDH, the International Panel of Eminent Personalities (IPEP) set up by the Organization for African Unity (OAU), the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development set up by the Canadian Parliament, by academics such as Alison DesForges, Professor at the University of New York at Buffalo, Andre Guichaoua, Professor at the University of Lille (France), Gerard Prunier, Senior Research at CNRS, Paris; and Filip Reyntjens, Professor at the University of Antwerpen (Belgium), and by international media.
OPJDR calls on the United Nations Organization, United States Government and the City of New York to lead by example. Criminals, especially those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide have no place in a civilized society. Criminal must pay for their crimes. The OPJDR urges the United Nations Organization, United States Government and the City of New York to undertake the following actions: Immediately void the accreditation of Mr. Anastase Gasana as Ambassador; Deny any legal residence status to Mr. Anastase Gasana on the US territory; Deport Mr. Anastase Gasana to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha Tanzania to be prosecuted for his crimes.
The Unites States of America and the United Nations have the moral responsibility to assist the Rwandan people get rid of all war criminals, criminals against humanity and genocidaires. The arrest, transfer to ICTR and prosecution of Mr. Anastase Gasana constitute an important step in that direction.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Felicien Kanyamibwa, Ph.D.
Coordinator. General
Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda.
OPJDR Executive Committee:
Felicien Kanyamibwa, Ph.D., Coordinator General
Celestine Muhindura, Deputy Coordinator General and Coordinator of Relief
Jean Marie Vianney Higiro, Ph.D., Communications and Public Relations Coordinator
Jean Eudes Habambyingwe, Ph.D., Youth and Mobilization Coordinator
Jeanne d'Arc Niyigena, Women Affairs Coordinator
Celestine Hitimana, Judiciary Affairs Coordinator
Victor Makuza, Budget and Secretariat Coordinator