VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0523/01 1501410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301410Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4239
INFO RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 0070
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 0879
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1612
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0219
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0878
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0240

UNCLAS KIGALI 000523 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM RW
SUBJECT: EMBASSY ACTION ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS; GOR 
RESPONSE 
 
REF: KIGALI 454 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Ambassador on May 17 presented the Rwandan National 
Police Commissioner with a list of ten police shootings of 
"escaping" prisoners (garnered from local human rights group 
LIPROHDOR -- see reftel), asking for an explanation of the 
shootings.  A majority of the cases involved the arrest of 
suspects accused of attacks on genocide survivors, witnesses, 
or gacaca judges.  In the meeting the Commissioner, while 
admitting that such cases "reflect badly on us," stated that 
such suspects were "extremely dangerous" and ready at any 
moment to attack the police and either gain their freedom or 
injure or kill police officers.  Officers often lacked proper 
restraint devices when dealing with such prisoners, he added. 
 The Ambassador replied that the issue was proper control of 
crime suspects by the police -- did the RNP have proper 
procedures in place in handling suspects in custody, and did 
the RNP investigate its own personnel when such incidents 
occurred. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Commissioner replied in writing on May 23 with 
a detailed recitation of the events surrounding nine of  the 
ten cases (the tenth case discussed in the report treated an 
earlier police shooting last November, rather than a February 
one in the same town in eastern Rwanda).  The Commissioner 
confirmed the fatal shootings by the police in these 
incidents, each involving one to three suspects already in 
police custody who allegedly attempted to escape and were 
shot dead while doing so.  In the Commissioner's reply, he 
noted that "all of the policemen involved" were "summoned for 
questioning," and that "investigations are underway to assess 
officers' responsibility under the law."  He noted that 
Rwandan detention facilities were antiquated and inadequate. 
He stated that police officers lacked extensive training in 
the use of firearms, and that such a training program had 
begun.  He said that efforts were underway to equip each 
police station with "enough hand cuffs" to properly secure 
suspects.  His report finished with the observation that the 
suspects were "of extreme criminal character," and were 
"ready to die for their genocide ideology."  The senior 
police officer who personally delivered the report to the 
Ambassador admitted that police officers appeared to have 
"exceeded their authority" in the shootings, and said the RNP 
leadership recognized the need for more training to prevent 
excessive use of force by the police. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Ambassador in subsequent separate discussions on 
unrelated topics with National Security Advisor Emmanuel 
Ndahiro and Presidential Advisor Richard Sezibera, brought up 
the police shootings, and discussed them in detail. Each 
reacted somberly, expressing surprise, concern, and a 
willingness to ask questions about the incidents within the 
Rwandan government. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On May 27, the LDGL (Great Lakes Human Rights 
League), a prominent local human rights organization, 
presented a roundtable discussion, open to the public, on 
criminality in Rwanda, with presentations by the Minister of 
Internal Affairs, Ibuka (the principal survivors 
organization), a police representative of the Criminal 
Investigations Division, and LIPRODHOR.  LIPRODHOR in its 
remarks raised generally the topic of police shootings (after 
the Minister had departed).  Many members of the audience 
questioned the police representative on these reports of 
police shootings, which had begun to appear in the local 
Kinyarwanda press.  The police representative asked the 
public to communicate directly with the RNP on these cases. 
(Note: LIPRODHOR told us May 14 told us several human rights 
organizations had planned to present its concerns to the GOR 
in the near future -- this meeting appears to have been that 
effort). 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Comment.  However dangerous and diehard a genocide 
suspect may be, or how committed he may be to evading the 
police after attacking or killing a survivor, the fact 
remains that each of these individuals was already in police 
custody when the shooting occurred.  In four of the ten 
cases, the alleged crimes of the suspects in custody did not 
involve genocide cases, but rather rape or murder -- except 
for one man accused of stealing electrical cable, a crime of 
particular frequency of late.  Not all, then, were ready to 
die for "genocide ideology."  As noted in reftel, many of 
these cases occurred in April, a particularly tense time, 
when the 1994 genocide is remembered, and emotions run high. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Comment continued.  That so many police officers 
felt compelled to use deadly force while taking prisoners to 
the toilet, or while interrogating them, or while 
transferring them to another cell, is difficult to credit. 
No government official admits to a conscious policy of 
shooting hardened criminals, but they do allude to the 
prisoners' viciousness with some regularity.  There is no 
doubt the police need more training to improve the management 
of suspects in detention.  The police is force is undersized 
and underfunded.  The fact that the police responded promptly 
and comprehensively to the Embassy's approach is encouraging, 
and underlines RPN recognition of the need for enhanced 
professionalism and accountability.  Post awaits the results 
of the continuing investigations by the police of their 
officers, and will continue to raise the matter with GOR 
officials.  End comment. 
 
ARIETTI