Amnesty International has rejected Genocide convict Stanley Safari’s application for help to get asylum. The senator, who is reportedly holed up in Uganda, tried to get Amnesty International to protect him in his efforts to seek asylum.

In the first place, it is astonishing that he did not wait to find out whether he is guilty or innocent, and instead decided to run away and more so, seek protection from an international organization.

Why did he not wait for the verdict and then appeal the case if he is confident that he is innocent? Foremost, as a former member of the Senate, he had approved the existence and functions of the Gacaca courts.

That he is running away from a judicial system he helped to establish in his capacity as a law maker, says a lot about his hypocrisy. That shows how he can not even be trusted for the claims of persecution he is making.

It is refreshing to learn that AI has listened to credible experts and made a good decision. It is well known that many genocidaires have claimed political persecution when they are pursued for the heinous crimes they committed in Rwanda.

And in some instances, they have found support in organizations that claim to be advancing the human rights agenda. In the end, they use the human rights platform to subvert the course of justice.

Thus AI has made a great decision in as far seeking justice is concerned. Other organizations must take lessons from this and it should inform their future decisions in similar cases.

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