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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KIGALI 000049 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C, DRL, AF/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PHUM PREL RW
SUBJECT: NEWSPAPER DIRECTOR ARRESTED, ARRAIGNED ON 
DIVISIONISM/SECTARIANISM CHARGES 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. On Friday, January 19, Agnes Nkusi-Uwimana, 
director of the Kinyarwanda-language newspaper, "Umurabyo" 
was arraigned on charges of divisionism and sectarianism 
stemming from recent articles in the paper that appeared to 
minimize the genocide or advance the notion of a double 
genocide.  Nkusi-Uwimana also faces one unrelated charge of 
fraud for writing a bad check.  Nkusi-Uwimana's arrest on 
January 11 followed both public sanction by her fellow 
journalists and a recommendation by Rwanda's High Council of 
the Press (HCP) that her paper be suspended.  Nkusi-Uwimana's 
arrest, coming at a time when her fellow independent 
journalists have levied increasingly harsh criticisms of the 
lack of political space in Rwanda without government 
sanction, indicates that the GOR remains particularly 
sensitive to the issues of ethnic divisionism and 
sectarianism, and genocide iDdology. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) In issue 10 (December 8-22) of "Umurabyo," 
Nkusi-Uwimana published an article under the headline "Those 
Who Killed Tutsi in Trouble; Those Who Killed Hutu in Total 
Freedom," and with the subtitle "It will be difficult for 
Rwandans to differentiate a 'Hutu Interahamwe' and a 'Tutsi 
Interahamwe.'"  The article, which was widely interpreted 
locally to be equating killings by RPF soldiers with the 
killings that took place during the genocide, caused an 
immediate stir among local journalists and led them to call 
the author, Agnes Nkusi-Uwimana, to explain herself before a 
gathering of her peers on December 12.  The unprecedented 
meeting was organized by an ad-hoc committee of five 
journalists led by Charles Kabonero, director of Rwanda 
Independent Media Group (and editor of both "Rwanda Newsline" 
and "Umuseso") and a leading government critic.  Also on the 
committee was a second vocal government critic, Jean Bosco 
Gasasira, editor of "Umuvugizi" newspaper.  The committee 
criticized Nkusi-Uwimana for her lack of professionalism, for 
tarnishing the reputation of journalists in Rwanda, and for 
printing a revisionist article.  The group called on her to 
issue an apology and corrections in the paper's next issue. 
Nkusi-Uwimana agreed to do so. 
 
¶3. (U) The action taken by the journalists appears to have 
been the outgrowth of a seminar on media self-regulation 
organized by the Association of Rwandan Journalists in 
conjunction with the PANOS Institute.  The journalists 
intended through their prompt action to demonstrate that they 
can effectively regulate themselves and to forestall further 
sanction by the HCP or GOR authorities.  The HCP concluded, 
however, that the article was so offensive that further 
punishment was warranted.  On December 15, the HCP accused 
Nkusi-Uwimana of discrimination and defamation and forwarded 
to the Information Minister its recommendation that the paper 
be suspended for three months.  Though some journalists 
reacted to the HCP's recommendation with disappointment (not 
because they did not find the article offensive, but because 
the HCP did not respect their attempt to police themselves), 
others believed that "Umurabyo" should be suspended.  The HCP 
twice before has recommended that papers be suspended; in 
both instances, the Information Minister declined to do so. 
In this instance the Information Minister has yet to render a 
decision. 
 
¶4. (U) Instead of writing the corrections and apology that 
she had agreed to, Nkusi-Uwimana wrote in issue 11 (published 
on January 1, 2007) an open letter to all newspaper directors 
operating in Rwanda, urging them not to fear "those who do 
not like the truth, and do not be scared by the RPF's 
corrupted and criminal officials." She went on to reiterate 
her claim that those who killed Hutus during the genocide 
remain free, and castigated high-profile GOR and RPA 
officials, categorizing them by Hutu and Tutsi origin, and 
calling them dogs and prostitutes.  The police arrested 
Nkusi-Uwimana on January 11 at the request of the Prosecutor 
General's office.  Following her arraignment, Nkusi-Uwimana 
was transferred to Kigali's Central Prison where she will 
remain until her trial begins (per Rwandan law, she can be 
held up to thirty days between arraignment and the start of 
her trial). 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment. "Umurabyo" is a recently established, 
twice-monthly newspaper with low circulation.  Nkusi-Uwimana 
has little editorial experience, having worked in marketing 
for a rival news publication.   While this is the first time 
 
KIGALI 00000049  002 OF 002 
 
 
the HCP  has recommended that "Umurabyo" be suspended, it is 
not the first time it has come in for criticism from the 
body.  According to Patrice Mulama, executive secretary of 
the HCP, Nkusi-Uwimana previously published a wholly 
fabricated interview with President Kagame.  Nkusi-Uwimana's 
current troubles have taken place in the context of a general 
loosening of restrictions on the press in Rwanda.  "Focus," 
"Umuseso," and "Newsline" all opened 2007 with strongly 
worded criticisms of the lack of political space in Rwanda 
and, in the case of sister papers "Newsline" and "Umuseso", 
direct criticism of Kagame for stifling dissent and 
exhibiting dictatorial tendencies.  These articles (and 
similar comments on Rwandan radio) have not provoked any 
criticism from the HCP or the GOR.  The contrasting responses 
suggest that the GOR will continue to respond with a firm 
hand to what it regards as ethnic divisionism or genocide 
ideology while loosening its grip on other forms of 
criticism. 
ARIETTI