Probe team recommends terminating BBC agreement

A commission of inquiry investigating accusations of genocide denial and revisionism by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has recommended that a mutual agreement with the government be terminated. It follows an October 1, 2014 BBC documentary titled Rwanda’s Untold Story which was considered to be an attempt to distort facts of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The inquiry was commissioned by Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura) following widespread uproar over the broadcaster. Presenting the report, the head of the inquiry team, former Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga, said that the recommendations, once adopted by the government, would mean that BBC had lost its Frequency Spectrum on Rwanda territory indefinitely. “The committee found that in airing the documentary, BBC transgressed parameters it set for itself as journalistic standards in its editorial charter. There were a number of instances that pointed to the violation of Rwandan law, with particular reference to the offences of genocide denial and revisionism, inciting hatred and divisionism among Rwandans,” Ngoga said. He added that the evidence presented before the five-member inquiry team also showed recurrent contravention on the part of BBC with regard to the content of its Kinyarwanda programmes. “There was general shortage of good will by BBC in applying the content and spirit of the agreement that moderates its relationship with Rwanda,” the report reads in part. Ngonga said that at the time when the Committee was examining the allegations that the documentary denied genocide against the Tutsi, BBC management was called on to appear before the committee to explain their take but they refused. Ngonga added that BBC instead chose to conduct its own internal probe into the documentary, and, “their verdicts, which they sent to us, entirely acquitted itself and its producers of any professional and legal wrongdoings. “This significantly influenced our decision as the committee,” said Ngoga. The report recommends that for Rwanda to restore any further formal relationship with BBC, the British media house should stick to legal principles and practice according to the spirit of the new agreement that would have been signed then. The inquiry also recommended that Rwanda initiates criminal and civil processes to deal with the identified offenses and establish a cohesive communication strategy to track, identify and address manifestations of genocide denial in all its forms. Coletha Ruhamya, the Chairperson of RURA Regulatory Board, said the government would make their final verdict regarding the committee’s recommendation at a later stage. “We will first read and examine the report presented to us, and make our final judgment thereafter,” said Ruhamya. Rura commissioned the committee in November last year, to conduct the inquiry after receiving a deluge of public complaints about the BBC documentary which was criticized by various quarters from within and outside the country, including Genocide survivors, an international coalition of academics, scientists and journalists who accused the British broadcaster of being “recklessly irresponsible” and promoting genocide denial. The film also features a group of Genocide revisionists and fugitives and characters who are well-known to be anti Kigali government. The independent committee therefore engaged 24 witnesses in total, including international academics, researchers, journalists and politicians, among others, before coming out with its final report.

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Probe team recommends terminating BBC agreement