Inmates urged to fight against genocide ideology

WESTERN PROVINCE RUSIZI — Members of Parliament, Theobard Mporanyi and Judith Kanakuze have called upon all prisoners at Cyangugu central prison in Kamembe sector, Rusizi district to fight against any forms of ethnic discrimination among inmates. The two further called for citizens to collaborate with other concerned authorities in uprooting segregation within their respective residential areas. The two legislators made the call on Saturday while addressing the prison inmates as part of their visit to the district during the 15th genocide commemoration week. MP Mporanyi urged the inmates to always fight against the genocide ideology and to strive for the promotion of development in the country through hard work. “I call upon each and very inmate in this prison either on genocide crimes or on other cases to collaborate with the government and other concerned institutions to uproot any form of ethnic divisionism and genocide ideology among all ages of people because that is the only credible way of avoiding the re-occurrence of another genocide in our nation,” MP Mporanyi said. MP Kanakuze asked the inmates to work with the government in promoting peace, unity and reconciliation in the region after the completion of their custodial sentences. She also encouraged them to speak about the truth of what actually happened during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis. “I further urge those who know the locations of the genocide victims who have not yet been accorded a decent reburial to report to the prison authorities for the purposes of expediting a speedy reburial,” she said. Colonel Evariste Murenzi an officer with the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) called upon the inmates upon their release to help security organs in keeping security of the genocide survivors and to closely fight against those still embracing genocide ideology. Straton Sinzabakwira who spoke on behalf of the inmates called upon the government to arrest those who are involved in corruption within the gacaca courts. Prison officials we spoke to indicated that Cyangugu prison has 3,566 inmates of which 1,894 prisoners are on genocide charges. Ends