Foreign affairs ministry vows to tackle genocide denial

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, has vowed that her ministry would fight against any form of genocide denial.

Friday, April 20, 2012
Mushikiwabo leads the ministry staff to pay tribute to Genocide victims at Kigali memorial. The New Times / John Mbanda.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, has vowed that her ministry would fight against any form of genocide denial.She made the pledge yesterday after visiting Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gasabo District where she led the ministry’s staff to pay tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.According to Mushikiwabo, there are still cases of revisionism in several foreign countries saying that it was imperative for every Rwandan to stand up and fight such acts."It’s our mandate as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue working closely with foreign countries to apprehend genocide suspects who are still moving freely abroad and bring them to the book because genocide is a crime against humanity; it’s not a crime against Tutsi or Hutu” Mushikiwabo said.She noted that her ministry will continue to collaborate with other concerned ministries and institutions to put in place appropriate laws to help fight cases of genocide denial.  "We are working very closely with judicial institutions of various foreign countries to bring to the attention of their respective countries that are still hosting many genocide deniers that what they are doing is against the international conventions and laws regarding crimes against humanity” Mushikiwabo added.She urged Rwandans to always remember what happened during the Genocide saying it would help them not forget what the country went through during and before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis."We should not be surprised that there are still cases of genocide denial in various parts of world. Though the genocide was stopped, the thinking behind it is still out there” the minister said.