Résumé
In this letter addressed to Colonel Gatsinzi, Commander-in-Chief of the Rwandan Armed Forces, Human Rights Watch calls for respect for international law and indicates that the ongoing massacres "constitute crimes against humanity".
Citation
Colonel Gatsinzi
Commander in Chief
Rwandan Armed Forces
Etat Majeur
Kigali, Rwanda
Human Rights Watch/Africa condemns in the strongest possible terms the slaughter of thousands of defenseless Rwandans by the Presidential Guard, the militia attached to the MRND and CDR political parties, and soldiers of the Rwandan armed forces. It deplore calls for continued killing, such as that issued by the Rwandan Ministry of Defense over national radio on April 12 and those broadcast daily by the Radio Des Millet Collines, operated by the CDR political party.
In the face of these massacres, it is absolutely crucial for military commanders of all forces to take full responsibility for the conduct of their troops and to enforce strict discipline among them. Human Rights Watch /Africa calls upon you as the President of the Rwandese Patriotic Front [sic] to order your trooys to observe the customary laws of war, particularly those principles embodied in: Article 3 common to the four Geneva Conventions, and to impose prompt, effective sanctions on all who fail to obey these orders. Among other provisions, Article 3 prohibits violence to the life and person of non-combatants and summary executions of such persons.
Human Rights Watch/Africa has issued a similar call to Colonel Alexis Kanyarengwe.
Human Rights Watch/Africa believes that the massacres in Kigali and elsewhere constitute crimes against humanity. Once a legitimate government is established in Rwanda, one of its first duties must be to try those accused or these killings in an orderly fashion, with all guarantees of due process, in courts of law. In the meantime, those presumed guilty must not be punished by arbitrary reprisal.
Human Rights Watch/Africa will continue to monitor the situation in Rwanda carefully with a view to investigating and publicizing any and all violations of human rights in this country that has already suffered so much.
Sincerely.
Dr. Abdullahi An-Na'im
Executive Director
