MHC to draw new list of journalists killed in the Genocide

KIGALI - The Media High Council (MHC) will produce a new list of journalists killed during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis. This was said by the council’s Executive Secretary, Patrice Mulama, during an interview with The New Times, saying the final work will be out by the end of March this year. The current list of journalists killed was produced by Reporters Without Borders in 1995 and according to Mulama, it has been contested. “The list indicates 49 victims and people were in the country while others say the number could have been more than that. We are also unsure the criteria used by RSF to arrive at that number,” he said. He added that MHC was inspired by various reports and discussions with members of the press and the general public who called for further studies on the media’s role during the Genocide. Mulama explained that the delay to take such an initiative was because it was initially left to the Rwanda Journalists Association. “They tried in 2003 but failed. We decided to take it up and the aim is to establish the truth as an organ mandated to promote unity and reconciliation,” said Mulama. “We have consulted journalists who were in practice at the time and they connected us to victims’ relatives. We shall meet various stakeholders to discuss the findings before publication.” Mulama said the lists would be used by the media fraternity to honour their fallen colleagues. The new research will cover the period from when the liberation struggle began in 1990 to July 1994 when the RPF soldiers stopped the Genocide. Meanwhile, Mulama disclosed that another research is underway on the appropriate language to be used by the media in reporting Genocide related issues. Ends

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MHC to draw new list of journalists killed in the Genocide