An Open letter to Kenneth Roth

It really hurts Pan-Africanist like myself and I am sure that I am not alone on this and those who  generally dwell on the truth  regarding the whole issue surrounding the reporting and even sentiments expressed by  senior executives of the Human Rights Watch(HRW) organization.

I ask this simple question: Where is the professionalism and by extension objectivity in Kenneth Roth the Executive Director of HRW when he penned his article, ‘The Horrors of Power’ especially at a time when Rwanda is at a very reflective period  trying to come to terms with the whole issue known as the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi?

To state that Rwanda has a long way to go is correct but Kenneth seems to have misdirected his radar when he starts talking about the ‘façade of occasional elections’ or some empty talk such as the Government ‘running a one-party state’.

On this Kenneth is basking on his Euro centric ignorance from the comforts of his chair somewhere in the USA, New York, while Rwanda is making strides in various spheres.

He seems not to be aware of such simple facts to the effect that Rwanda has made history by having the only parliament and Government where women have the highest representation in the world.

Women’s emancipation and repression cannot be used in the same sentence. I would position that Roth is ignorant of the fact that Rwanda has won accolades from international bodies on crafting unique pro-citizen governance systems commonly known in western democracies as decentralization.

There so many other examples to give to show that governance in Rwanda is pro-people and hence democratic. Probably he has heard of these efforts.

However like other Euro centrists that are choosing to see Africa from purely western lenses, he arrogantly chooses to ignore these facts.

For a HRW official to say that ‘there is no meaningful opposition’ and that ‘the press is cowed’ or that ‘non-governmental organizations are under attack’ to me such sentiments are another cut with a machete on Rwandans.

Very heavy blows. Like a typical western observer and ‘analyst’ of Africa  Kenneth  reminds me of the western community who chose to look the other way when the terror visited the people of Rwanda in 1994. He chooses to look the other way while Rwanda is moving on.

‘Looking the other way’ here means making statements such as ‘gacaca has morphed into a forum for settling personal vendettas or silencing dissident voices’.

Saying that many Rwandans have discovered that disagreeing with the government or making unpopular statements can easily be portrayed as genocide ideology is truly hurting.

One would openly say that such sentiments are simply misplaced and are propagated by those with no understandings of precisely what is happening on the ground.

Those who wish to dismiss much credible documentation on the Gacaca processes, not just by Rwandans themselves, but reputable international institutions. It is a sad commentary from a senior HRW official.

The HRW should actually practice the gospel that they preach. Human Rights deals with truth and objectivity. That should be the starting point should we wish to get to the bottom of the matter.

The Gacaca system is a home grown solution to a highly delicate problem which devilled a country which was ignored by the major proponents of the classic western justice system when the heinous act happened.

Where were the proponents of the classic western judicial system when the Genocide happened? Especially when we know that there were early warning signs?

Lastly people in other parts of the world have issues with the HRW as well. Just recently more than 100 experts criticized HRW on their report on Venezuela saying that it ‘does not meet even the most minimal standards of scholarship, impartiality, accuracy, or credibility’.

Just who are these people who penned such as letter? The signatories include leading academic specialists from universities in the USA including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and a number of state universities, and academic institutions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, México, the U.K., Venezuela and other countries.

The letter cites Jose Miguel Vivanco, lead author of the report, saying HRW did the report because it wanted to demonstrate to the world that Venezuela is not a model for anyone to emulate. Does that ring a bell here?

Further still, the letter hit out at the HRW report for making wild allegations. In other words the credibility of the HRW is on the spot.

"By publishing such a grossly flawed report, and acknowledging a political motivation in doing so, Mr. Vivanco has undermined the credibility of an important human rights organization,”the letter states. Need I say more?

What is more disappointing about Roth’s article is making a wrong reference by stating that private paper, The New Times of Rwanda is a state owned paper. This clearly shows that facts are normally twisted to suite the whims of the so-called western human rights organizations.

Oluoch Fred is a Kenyan journalist,
The New Times Special Assignement Editor.