Editor,

The arrest of Callixte Mbarushimana, one of the top commanders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), in France on a secret ICC warrant is very good news.

This fellow was able to traipse all over Europe without consequence while the group he led was rounding people up, killing and raping them, while trying to launch a civil war on Rwandan territory.

So, I guess his arrest is a positive thing. However, I must say that this arrest leaves a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth because Rwanda had an arrest warrant out for him for quite a long time but the European authorities refused to act on it, arrogantly saying that he wouldn’t get a ‘fair’ trial in Rwanda. Really?

And honestly, despite his arrest by the ICC, I still find the entire institution somewhat suspicious. And in arresting Callixte Mbarushimana, they’re just proving the point that the international justice system is prejudiced against developing nations.

So, I’m in a conundrum. I feel that any kind of prison is good, whether its in Rwanda, Brussels, Paris or The Hague. But then I ask myself, what is it about our own justice systems that Europeans find so bad? What is this bias based on?

Sam Rwego
Kimihurura