Media commission slams BBC over 'untold story'

Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), the media self-regulatory body, yesterday added its voice of growing condemnation of a recently released BBC documentary, Rwanda’s Untold Story, saying it was intended to minimise and deny the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Addressing journalists in Kigali yesterday, the Chairperson of RMC, Fred Muvunyi, said the documentary constitutes blackmail. “Although we may not have direct jurisdiction over BBC, we find this documentary extremely disturbing and constitutes all elements of unprofessionalism. It’s unbelievable how an institution like BBC can produce such a mocking and cruel documentary,” he said. On October 1, BBC 2 presented the hour-long documentary featuring a group of well known Genocide revisionists and fugitives from justice. The film has since provoked strong criticisms from within and outside Rwanda. President Kagame referred to it as cynicism, while several organisations and groupings have also criticised BBC for intentionally distorting facts with an agenda of denying the Genocide against the Tutsi. Genocide survivors, scholars, former diplomats and investigative journalists have also called on the British broadcaster to retract the documentary and institute an open investigation in the motives. “This should not be looked at as a professional mistake, this is something BBC planned and executed targeting a certain group of people. The BBC said that only 200,000 Tutsi were killed in the Genocide, the intention behind such a statement is to deny the Genocide,” said Muvunyi. “BBC should come out and apologise to Rwandans, there is no shame in apologising.”

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Media commission slams BBC over 'untold story'