‘Reporters Without Borders’ will continue to be haunted

Editor, It has been established that Reporters Without Borders (RWB) is a sinister organization parading itself as an institution defending press freedom. Lots of journalists in Rwanda and elsewhere hardly ever care to know the real intentions of this organization that was recently stripped naked by keen communication observers. Robert Menard who was secretary general of RWB had no option left other than resign his position in 2008, when RWB came to the forefront of world news that his organization was a criminal entity hiding behind professed good intentions to protect media practitioners worldwide. I may remind, in this connection, that when the Government of Rwanda detained Belgian white father Guy Theunis in Kigali for serious allegations of crimes connected with the 1994 genocide, Robert Menard chose to attack the Government of Rwanda, purporting to defend the Belgian priest whose crimes were clearly substantiated by the Rwandan prosecutors. French newspaper Liberation published the vitriolic attacks that Menard leveled against the Government of Rwanda. Belgian newspaper Le Soir also published same attacks. These French and Belgian newspapers however declined to publish Rwanda Government’s reaction to these baseless attacks. The Government was denied the right of response by these Publications. This is a flagrant violation of the norms governing media practice. As a communication practitioner, I was personally requested to draft reaction from the Government of Rwanda to RWB’s media reports attacking Rwanda, and I even liaised with said Rwandan ambassadors to oversee the publication of Rwanda Government’s response in newspapers Liberation and Le Soir. The ambassadors tried against try, but regrettably reported to me over the phone that the management of those European media organs declined publishing Rwanda Government’s response. RWB did avail other opportunities to hurt post genocide Rwandan leaders and institutions; it eventually became evident it was all part of an international conspiracy to thwart the brilliant efforts of the RPF led Rwanda to extricate the Rwandan nation from the genocidal pit. Not everyone is expected to celebrate when neighbors are doing well. I will not delve further into the trickeries of RWB, today; but for each sin we commit, according to the bible, we pay, one way or another. Ntarugera Deo Koya ntarugera@yahoo.fr

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‘Reporters Without Borders’ will continue to be haunted