IRDP, stakeholders discuss means against negation of Tutsi Genocide

The Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (IRDP), an organization striving for peace through dialogue and consensus, Thursday held a two-day consultative meeting aimed at establishing measures to fight negation of Genocide crimes and putting clear the laws and legal framework against revisionism with its stakeholders.The meeting held at Hotel Novotel Umubano was in line with the release of a draft report on the “mechanisms to fight against the negation of the Tutsi Genocide”. Speaking to reporters at hotel Novotel Umubano, Prof. Pierre Ruzirabwoba Rwanyindo, the IRDP director explained that the event largely aims at looking into ways of attaining long lasting peace in the country.He emphasized the importance of looking into the “roots of genocide’ in an attempt to finding long lasting peace. Rwanyindo observed that these fall into some four major sets including the distortion of Rwanda’s history. “The history of Rwanda was written and taught by both the missionaries and colonialists – they divided Rwandans into groups,” he said, adding,” What happened in the country was also due to bad leadership.”Rwanyindo pointed to the coming of “a democracy” that was based on divisionism and propping up of ethnic hatred during the colonial era as crucial elements that led to most of the country’s present problems.“We are still continuing with the research in order to have clear information because sometimes we get contradicting information. We also have to include views from the participants in the final report,” IRDP researcher, Bernadette Kayirangwa said.The conference also intends to revitalize efforts in fighting the Genocide ideology, negation of the Tutsi Genocide and revisionism propagated by the Genocide perpetrators and some sections of the international community. According to Kayirangwa, after carrying out the research, they made recommendations among which is the need to revise the punishment mentioned in article 4 of chapter 11 of the Organic law relating to Genocide crimes and sanctions that they considered as insufficient as far as dealing with revisionist crimes is concerned.It was also pointed out that appropriate measures should be taken in order to make people seek clarity in differentiating between revisionism, genocide ideology and discrimination related crimes then strategies to disseminate and sensitize people on risks associated with revisionism could succeed.Kayirangwa also said that there was need for promotion of forgiveness and reconciliation as opposed to revenge and capital punishment as a means of restoring justice and social reconstruction.Observance of human rights was also emphasized. That if rights are put into consideration, values like tolerance and fundamental rights including a right to life will be observed. “We should also put away anything that creates difference and favoritism among people…it was one of the causes of the troubles that befell Rwanda,” Kayirangwa recommended. Having a principal connection to national stability, the researchers also ventured into possible ways through which poverty could be overcome through job creation for effective poverty reduction. According to the researchers, unemployment can be a destabilizing factor which can affect national unity and long lasting peace.On the “Hutu – Tutsi question” and peace-building in general, Prof. Rwanyindo said that they consulted historians and other experts, they realized that much of the written history was faulty.“We have realized that this is how things happened – now the question is, what can we do to rectify things?” he asked, ““Research into peace-related matters will not stop here simply because enemies of peace are always there.”Prof. Emmanuel Habimana, a psychologist from the Canadian Diaspora, pointed out the culture of denial as one factor behind the denial of Genocide .Habimana underscored that the culture of debate on matters that are especially raising contradictory ideas was “positive.”“Revealing the truth about our country’s history will be very helpful in healing wounds,” he said.Interpeace, an international peace-building alliance, collaborated with IRDP to hold the event. Ends

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IRDP, stakeholders discuss means against negation of Tutsi Genocide