As the world marked the 66th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, a group of academicians yesterday condemned the BBC over its ‘Untold Story’ documentary.

They accused the British public broadcaster of deliberately twisting historical facts as well as seeking to tarnish the image of the country.

The Genocide Convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1948, defines genocide in legal terms and compels countries to prevent and punish actions of genocide.

To mark the anniversary, public lectures and discussions on the convention and Genocide denial in today’s world were held yesterday at the University of Rwanda, Huye campus.

The discussions focused on the BBC’s film, "Rwanda: the Untold Story,” which was first aired on BBC2 on October 1, and which has been widely condemned both in Rwanda and outside and has caused outrage, particularly among survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

A group of academics and researchers led the discussions that attracted hundreds of students, lecturers and other staff members.

Dr Eric Ndushabandi, a genocide scholar, researcher and lecturer at the university, described the documentary as "shameful.”

It "really serves political interests,” Dr Ndushabandi said.

Other speakers also condemned the documentary, noting that the way it is designed and how its messages are packaged show a clear intention of tarnishing the image of the country and its leadership.

The film simply amounts to a denial of the Genocide against the Tutsi, they concluded.

Double standards

Dr Alphonse Muleefu, an expert in public international criminal law and human rights, said there seems to be double standards when it comes to the way the1994 Genocide is portrayed.

While the majority of European countries have laws that criminalise the denial of the Holocaust, the same treatment is not reserved for those who deny the Genocide against the Tutsi, Muleefu said.

However, while some feared the film could set a precedent for Genocide deniers and perhaps lead to a twist in facts about the Genocide, historians said the film itself cannot change history and facts about the Genocide.

"[Genocide] deniers will always be there but they can’t change the facts about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The Genocide is already a known fact,” Dr Charles Mulinda Kabwete, a historian, said.

"Genocide denial is a challenge that we will overcome with time,” the academic added.

‘Powerful instrument’

Denial is the last stage of genocide and it is everyone’s responsibility to fight it, the academics said.

Fact-based publications, research and critical-thinking are needed to address the issue, they observed.

Dr Usta Kaitesi, an international law expert and the principal of the University of Rwanda’s College of Arts and Social Sciences, said while some might doubt of the importance of the UN Convention on Genocide at the time when Genocide denial is rife, the Convention remains a ‘very powerful instrument’ in the fight, prevention and punishment of genocide crimes.

"The Convention is an important legal document which criminalises genocide, without which the 1994 Genocide might perhaps not been been referred to as genocide as such,” Kaitesi said.

Other speakers included Dr Charity Wibabara, Prof. Charles Gasarasi, and Denis Bikesha.

A commission of inquiry, headed by former Prosecutor-General Martin Ngoga, is investigating the British broadcaster to establish whether they violated international and local legal instruments in its coverage of the post-Genocide Rwanda.