VIDEO: Lt Gen Karenzi Karake is free

Lt Gen Emmanuel Karenzi Karake, the secretary-general of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), will soon return home after the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, UK, dropped charges against him following the Prosecutor’s admission of a lack of evidence. VIDEO: Parliamentarians react to General Karenzis release. Source. The New Times/YouTube He was arrested on June 20 by the British Metropolitan Police on a European Arrest Warrant issued based on a controversial 2008 Spanish indictment. After hearing the Spanish legal representative who admitted that there was no basis for extradition, the Judge immediately ruled that Gen Karake had no case to answer. Gen Karake, who arrived at the Court wearing a navy blue suit, walked out a free man, to the immense joy of members of the Rwandan community who had gathered outside the court house in show of solidarity. “It is a great relief for all Rwandans and friends of Rwanda to see that Justice is finally done,” declared Patrice Shema, chairperson of the Rwandan Community in London. The contentious indictment, which targeted 40 former members of the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), the force that stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, had been issued by Spanish Judge Andreu Fernando Mirelles. Lt Gen Emmanuel Karenzi Karake Karake was one of those targeted by the indictment which was described by the then US ambassador to Rwanda Michael R. Arietti as “outrageous and inaccurate.” The Rwandan officials were indicted over alleged war crimes, terrorism and genocide, in a case a 2009 UN report linked to two Spanish NGOs that had close ties with FDLR, a DR Congo-based terrorist group that comprises elements responsible for 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. A press release issued by the Government of Rwanda describes the indictment as “a travesty of justice.” When the indictment was first issued in 2008, world scholars and experts on Rwanda were quick to point at the political biases in the case. The dropping of the case by the UK court is seen as a strong sign that the indictment has no basis. The Spanish Supreme Court is scheduled to make a final ruling on the matter on September 5, 2015. Upon Karake’s release, President Paul Kagame tweeted; “Many thanks to the tireless legal team, friends and the unbreakable Rwandan spirit.” He added; “Truth is really very stubborn .....It just chooses its moment.” On her Twitter account, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Louise Mushikiwabo, wrote; “Delighted! Gen. KK is coming home! This was an unnecessary and abusive process.” Mushikiwabo also thanked the African Union and the entire continent for standing by Rwanda in the wake of Karake’s arrest. According to a statement released by the Rwanda High Commission in the UK, the dismissal of the case vindicated the government’s position that Gen Karake should never have been arrested in the first place and that extradition proceedings should never have been initiated. Kigali says both the indictment and Karake’s arrest were instigated by Genocide perpetrators, fugitives from justice and their sympathisers in an attempt to discredit the current government and re-write the country’s history. Government also says the arrest amounted to violation of the diplomatic immunity held by Lt. Gen. Karake, who had travelled to the UK on official mission having made similar trips there in recent years without any incident. Meanwhile, the news of Gen. Karenzi’s release was greeted with excitement from senators. It filtered through as the Senate was about to close yesterday’s plenary business. Senate president Bernard Makuza, with a broad smile, broke the news to senators: “General Karenzi Karake has been cleared of the charges in the UK and will be returning home.” “The truth has finally triumphed,” he added. Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba, Senate vice president, said that the release of Gen. Karenzi was a victory against the deniers of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “We should never tire of reminding the world that the generals and comrades they are fighting hard to discredit are the ones who stopped the Genocide and went on to transform this country, it’s a shame some choose to ignore this simple historical fact.” Click here for the full Government statement

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VIDEO: Lt Gen Karenzi Karake is free