Learn from the mistakes of others

Friday, June 02, 2006
Rwanda radio broadcaster sentenced to six years for inciting genocide
Joshua Pantesco at 1:54 PM ET

[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) [official website] on Friday sentenced Joseph Serugendo [case materials] to six years in prison [press release] for direct and public incitement to commit genocide and persecution as a crime against humanity under a plea agreement where the ICTR dropped the more serious charges of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and complicity to commit genocide in exchange for Serugendo's guilty plea. Serugendo is the former technical director of a Rwandan radio station that promoted the 1994 Rwandan genocide [HRW backgrounder; JURIST news archive], and admitted to the ICTR that he provided technical assistance and moral support to broadcast anti-Tutsi messages over the airwaves.

The tribunal considered Serugendo's terminal illness and his cooperation with the tribunal in the decision to limit his sentence to only six years in prison. Serugendo was arrested in September 2005 and initially pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to the charges.

For more, http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1654389.htm.
Also UN News Centre has additional coverage.

Propaganda. Sometimes it done not be good. And everyone thinks so. Mostly.


Serugendo is not the first of the ICTR incitement convictees, nor the most interesting. He wasn't arrested until September 2005. More than a decade after the events for which he has been convicted. He brings the total of completed trials at the ICTR to 28.

War Crimes is a messy business - doubly so when you're trying to prosecute.

Politics and procedure.

Friday, June 02, 2006
Rwanda radio broadcaster sentenced to six years for inciting genocide
Joshua Pantesco at 1:54 PM ET

[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) [official website] on Friday sentenced Joseph Serugendo [case materials] to six years in prison [press release] for direct and public incitement to commit genocide and persecution as a crime against humanity under a plea agreement where the ICTR dropped the more serious charges of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and complicity to commit genocide in exchange for Serugendo's guilty plea. Serugendo is the former technical director of a Rwandan radio station that promoted the 1994 Rwandan genocide [HRW backgrounder; JURIST news archive], and admitted to the ICTR that he provided technical assistance and moral support to broadcast anti-Tutsi messages over the airwaves.

The tribunal considered Serugendo's terminal illness and his cooperation with the tribunal in the decision to limit his sentence to only six years in prison. Serugendo was arrested in September 2005 and initially pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to the charges.

For more, http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1654389.htm.
Also UN News Centre has additional coverage.

Propaganda. Sometimes it done not be good. And everyone thinks so. Mostly.


Serugendo is not the first of the ICTR incitement convictees, nor the most interesting. He wasn't arrested until September 2005. More than a decade after the events for which he has been convicted. He brings the total of completed trials at the ICTR to 28.

War Crimes is a messy business - doubly so when you're trying to prosecute.

Politics and procedure.

Saturday, April 08, 2006
UN genocide prevention adviser denounces international reluctance to stop atrocities
Alexis Unkovic at 11:07 AM ET

[JURIST] UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Juan Mendez [official profile] said Friday that the international community remains reluctant to contribute the funds and military personnel necessary to stop genocide worldwide, as he spoke at a press conference on the 12th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda [JURIST news archive], during which some 800,000 Rwandans - mostly Tutsis - were killed over 100 days. Mendez said the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Darfur [JURIST news archive] region provides just one example of the world's lack of commitment, likening the situation there to that in Rwanda in 1994.

In a related development Friday, Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Armand De Decker [official profile] asked the country's parliament to consider enacting a law that would prohibit citizens from denying the Rwandan genocide, perhaps modeling the new initiative after a 1995 Belgian law that prohibited citizens from denying the occurrence of the Holocaust. Rwanda is a former Belgian colony.

AP has more.
Reuters has additional coverage.

genocide has long been considered "too hard" - at least politically - by many u.n. member states' governments. hence, they're happy to see someone talking about the problem, but are reluctant to do much more.

there's still argument about what constitutes "genocide". no one wants their 'scrappy little fights' to be labelled as either genocide or terrorism.

genocide is particularly awkward since, by definition, the state itself is either directly involved or is turning 'a blind eye'.

propaganda that incites genocide is part of the grab-bag of offences under the genocide convention.

Saturday, April 08, 2006
UN genocide prevention adviser denounces international reluctance to stop atrocities
Alexis Unkovic at 11:07 AM ET

[JURIST] UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Juan Mendez [official profile] said Friday that the international community remains reluctant to contribute the funds and military personnel necessary to stop genocide worldwide, as he spoke at a press conference on the 12th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda [JURIST news archive], during which some 800,000 Rwandans - mostly Tutsis - were killed over 100 days. Mendez said the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Darfur [JURIST news archive] region provides just one example of the world's lack of commitment, likening the situation there to that in Rwanda in 1994.

In a related development Friday, Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Armand De Decker [official profile] asked the country's parliament to consider enacting a law that would prohibit citizens from denying the Rwandan genocide, perhaps modeling the new initiative after a 1995 Belgian law that prohibited citizens from denying the occurrence of the Holocaust. Rwanda is a former Belgian colony.

AP has more.
Reuters has additional coverage.

genocide has long been considered "too hard" - at least politically - by many u.n. member states' governments. hence, they're happy to see someone talking about the problem, but are reluctant to do much more.

there's still argument about what constitutes "genocide". no one wants their 'scrappy little fights' to be labelled as either genocide or terrorism.

genocide is particularly awkward since, by definition, the state itself is either directly involved or is turning 'a blind eye'.

propaganda that incites genocide is part of the grab-bag of offences under the genocide convention.