US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken today expressed the United States’ human rights concerns in Rwandaduring talks he had with President Paul Kagame in Kigali, the last stop on his African tour aimed at countering Russian influence.
He particularly referred to the subject of “Hotel Rwanda” hero Paul Rusesabagina, who he has been serving a 25-year prison sentence since last year and has US permanent resident status.
Anthony Blinken made these statements during a short visit to Rwanda, the third and final stop on his African tour after South Africa and DR Congo.
This mini-tour, his second to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, comes shortly after that of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who visited Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia and Uganda in July.
Today, during a press conference in Kigali, Blinken expressed Washington’s “serious concerns” about the Human Rights in Rwanda.
“As I told President Kagame, we believe that people in all countries should be able to express their opinions without fear of intimidation, imprisonment, violence and any other form of repression,” said Blinken.
Anthony Blinken’s reference to ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero Paul Rusesabagina
He also underlined “tthe concerns” of the US for “the lack of guarantees for a fair trial” of Paul Rusesabagina.
The family of the latter had said, in a statement issued, that they expected from Blinken that “direct commitment” it will help end the “nightmare” of them and their relative, whose health is deteriorating, he said.
THE Paul Rusesabagina, 68, made famous by the movie “Hotel Rwanda” released in 2004, it shows how this moderate Hutu who ran the hotel in the Rwandan capital saved more than 1,000 people during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In May, Washington estimated that “unjustly detained» from Rwandan justice.
Ahead of the US secretary of state’s arrival, civil society and NGOs had called on the US side to take a stand on the human rights situation, with Human Rights Watch calling on Blinken to “declare as a matter of urgency (in Kigali) that there will be consequences for repression and rights abuses by the Rwandan government and beyond».
Echoing the Observatory’s comments, Rwandan opposition figure Victoire Ingabire told AFP that the Blinken he was expected to “raise the issue of journalists and politicians who have been jailed” for opposing Paul Kagame’s government.
Anthony Blinken also stated that discussed with Kagame the issue of Kigali’s alleged support for a rebel organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo, M23, a topic he had discussed the previous day in Kinshasa.
“Any support and cooperation with any armed organization in eastern DR Congo endangers local communities and regional stability, and each country in the region must respect the territorial integrity of others,” Blinken was quoted as saying by the Athens News Agency.
According to a report by experts commissioned by the United Nations, seen in early August by AFP, the Rwandan army “carried out military operations against armed organizations of the DR Congo and positions of the armed forces of the DR Congo” by the November 2021 and until June 2022. Kigali categorically denied this.
THE M23 is a Tutsi-dominated ex-guerrilla organization which was defeated in 2013 and which took up arms late last year, accusing Kinshasa of not honoring agreements to demobilize and reintegrate its fighters.
Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting this rebellion, which Rwanda denies.
Source: News Beast
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
