Rwanda: Dictator Kagame's Ruthless Pursuit of Exiled Editor Gasarira ends in Absentia Sentence

Kagame's regime, supported by the US govt., regularly violates the Human Rights of journalists.

Umuvugizi editor Jean Bosco Gasasira

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - The photograph to the left shows the Umuvugizi editor Jean Bosco Gasasira.

Jean Bosco Gasasira without horrific injuries

The photo to the right shows Gasasira in a Rwandan hospital in the aftermath of the beatings he received from Kagame thugs. This is what routinely happens in Rwanda when a paper publishes an unwanted story about the Rwandan Dictator.

Here are the highlights of Kagame’s ruthless pursuit of Umuvugizi Editor Gasasira:

•Rwanda Supreme Court today (Friday 3 May 2011) sentenced Gasasira in absentia to 2 years and 6 months imprisonment and ordered his immediate arrest on tramped up charges. •At the time of the sentencing, Kagame cyber mercenaries have shut down Umuvugizi online – thus following and harassing Gasasira all the way to Sweden where he lives in exile.

•Through a corrupted Umuvugizi reporter, Kagame cyber mercenaries have managed to reach Umuvugizi webmaster in Germany and constantly sabotage the website – the site is down as we write.

•Shutting down Umuvugizi is not enough for Kagame – the dictator’s intelligence services that run New Times and other media Rwanda have created a site with a similar name to confuse Umuvugizi readers. The Kagame-run version’s name is Umuvugiz.wordpress.com run by one Tom Ndahiro and Willis Shalita.

Kagame: responsible for the death of Rwandans,Congolese and Ugandans in Millions

•Kagame goons are always on the hunt for Gasasira no matter how far he is – as far north as Scandinavia – death threats and intimidations are the order of the day.

•Back in 2010, the acting editor of Umuvugizi wasn’t so lucky – Jean Leonard Rugambage was shot outside his home and died later at a hospital.

•The “crime” Rugambage committed was to investigate the attempted assassination of General Kayumba Nyawasa in South Africa, a case that is bound to confirm Rugambage’s suspicions that the Kagame regime was responsible according to sources.

•Kagame has tried everything to shut down Umuvugizi newspaper ever since the paper was banned along with others prior to presidential elections in August 2010.

•More recently, Kagame through a business partner offered Gasasira a sum of 500,000.00 British Pounds to end his journalism career and close Umuvugizi newspaper.

•Gasasira turned down the “blood money” as he calls the shameless bribe.

In the event that the Dictator in Rwanda does not know, “in absentia” mean in Latin “in the absence”. In legal use, “in absentia” means a trial where the alleged defendant is not present.

Mr Dictator Kagame, a conviction of a person in absentia or a trial in which the “defendant” is not present to answer the charges, is a gross violation of natural justice. Does this mean anything to you?

Source: africandictator.org

Submitted by: Jennifer Fierberg, MSW; a correspondent, Assistant Editor, and Volunteer Coordinator for NGO News Africa through the volunteer project of the UN. Jennifer is also the media co-coordinator and senior funding executive for The Africa Global Village (www.africaglobalvillage.com)