Minister reiterates govt stand on human rights

KAMONYI - The Minister of Information, Louise Mushikiwabo, has said that after the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis, the government has done a lot in promoting and protecting human rights through various policies, especially in the Rwandan constitution. Mushikiwabo said this Wednesday during the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary after the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The function was held in Kamonyi District in the Southern Province. “The constitution of Rwanda is committed to ensuring its adherence to the principles of human rights. Special laws which aim at punishing anyone who violates and abuses human rights and other laws governing the legal profession have since been adopted,” said Mushikiwabo. The Minister said that scrapping the death penalty and adoption of laws that punishes all forms of human rights violation which include; genocide, segregation, the abuse of children’s rights are some of the stances taken to promote human rights. Mushikiwabo who is also the Government Spokesman stated various organs that have been established to safeguard human rights that include the Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission to Fighting the Genocide. The celebrations this year were marked under the theme “Dignity and Justice for all of us,” and it was proposed by the Secretary General of the United Nations. In her remarks, the president of the Rwanda Human Rights Commission, Sylvie Zainabu Kayitesi, said that this occasion was a time for everybody to reflect on the past and observe if they have done enough to promote the human rights declaration. According to the Mushikiwabo, Kamonyi was chosen as host for the event because of the series of acts of human rights violations that have been occurring in the district like the numerous murders of the genocide survivors and the killing of a family of five which occurred last month. Ends

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Minister reiterates govt stand on human rights