WASHINGTON - Scores of Rwandans from across the United States and friends of Rwanda, Saturday, braved a heavy downpour to protest the arrest in Germany of Rose Kabuye.

The demonstration was held outside the venue of the G20 Summit, a gathering of leading industrial powers such as the US, Japan and Germany, and emerging market countries such as China, India and Brazil - representing 85% of the world economy. 

The Diaspora targeted the summit to inform the international community  of the political abuse of the principle of Universal Jurisdiction invoked by the French government to indict Kabuye and nine other senior Rwandan Government officials.

The demonstrators held a five-hour vigil with participants expressing their disappointment over Genocide perpetrators who continue to enjoy a good life in Europe while the liberators who stopped the Genocide are threatened with arrest.

"It is unbelievable, if it was in our countries it would be so alarming! Picking a member of the international community, an official and arresting just like that,” said Patrikk Salemme, of Consultant Corporate Executive Board.

He said there are better progressive things to do for a country like Rwanda rather than harassing her and putting her officials behind bars, which only hinders the country’s development.

Adding: "We stand up against this because we are all human beings created equally, and we believe in justice.”

Another protestor Rwandan, Robert Kayinamura, said that the European Union  (EU) should not join France in the of universal jurisdiction principle.

France is currently in the rotational seat of  EU Presidency, neither of the two countries, (France and Germany) have brought Kabuye’s illegal detention to the rest of the EU member States.

"For the Germans, we ask them to release Rose (Kabuye) immediately without any precondition because the arrest was illegitimate. For France, they should leave Rwanda alone, they should drop the political indictments and stop the neo-colonial agenda’s,” Kayinamura explained.

Lionel Gahima another Rwandan in the Diaspora, said the two countries have no right to arrest Kabuye because she is protected by immunity, explaining that she was on official duty.

"They should stop their injustice against Rwanda which I think if it continues will be extended to other African countries. They should release her, we demand it and there is no real reason for her arrest. She should be doing her job rather than being in jail,” he asserted.

Adding, "We as Rwandan people should fight for her liberty and the government should use any diplomatic means to free her.”

Ends