Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) on Thursday confirmed the arrest of Rashid Abdou Hakuzimana, who is being investigated for allegedly denying and minimising the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He also faces charges of inciting public insurrection. RIB spokesperson, Thierry B Murangira confirmed the suspect has been arrested over the crimes he allegedly committed on various occasions through his interviews on the social media platform YouTube. According to RIB, the decision to detain him was taken after warning him to stop these declarations, a warning he never heeded. Murangira advised the public to use social media platforms in a proper and responsible manner. He said that RIB has no problem with everyone who uses social media sites to reach out to more people in a way that benefits society adding that even the institution uses social media to deliver messages to different people. However, he said that they will not tolerate anyone using any social media channel to spread hate speech, rumours or words that can provoke divisionism, cause intimidation and chaos in the public. The suspect is currently being held at Kicukiro RIB Station while the investigation is ongoing. He said the case is being processed before being submitted to prosecution as per the law. In many of the declarations recently made by Hakuzimana include assertions that there was double genocide in Rwanda. He recently said that there was no need to commemorate the Genocide against the Tutsi if everyone who was killed was not being commemorated.
