Octobre 2011

mercredi 26 octobre 2011

The President of the Opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, Frank Habineza has travelled to Australia to share with the Commonwealth family what is happening in Rwanda, because in his own country he cannot speak out. Mr Habineza s Party Vice-President was murdered in suspicious circumstances before the 2010 election. For Rwanda s sake, the Heads of State must support the Eminent Persons Group recommendations this weekend to ensure that the Commonwealth can speak out when its values are violated in Rwanda, said Frank Habineza, President, Democratic Green Party of Rwanda. After two days of participation in workshops at the Commonwealth Peoples Forum, I can confidently say that if the recommendations from the Eminent Persons Group are not implemented then neither Australia nor any other Commonwealth nation will be able to ensure democracy and human rights in Rwanda, said Mr Habineza. Without reform the Commonwealth will loose the respect of the community if it just watches rogue member governments oppress their people. People will only stay engaged in the Commonwealth if they see it taking credible action when members are undemocratic – and this means reforms have to occur to the way the Commonwealth does business Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009 despite serious concerns being expressed about intimidation of opposition parties and the independent media. Since joining the Commonwealth the oppression and violence against opposition and media has got worse not better ! said Mr Habineza. Back in 2009 Commonwealth members like Australia said that granting Rwanda membership would help to entrench the rule of law and support democracy. But without reforms to the way the Commonwealth acts, it will not be able to deliver on this promise and the Rwandan Government s practises will bring down the reputation of the Commonwealth. said Amy Tyler, Spokesperson for Friends of Rwandan Greens. The Rwandan people deserve democracy and a free media and the Commonwealth can help deliver this, if the Heads of State agree to the core recommendations of the Eminent Persons Group, including the reform of the Ministerial Action Group and the appointment of an independent human rights commissioner, The Commonwealth must acknowledge the responsibility that they have assumed by accepting Rwanda into the Commonwealth family. I am very concerned that the Commonwealth membership is being used as a public relations cover for the Rwandan Government while they engage in extremely undemocratic behaviour at home. said Ms Tyler.

mardi 25 octobre 2011

Australia and other Commonwealth Governments naively believed admission to the Commonwealth would support Rwanda s path to democracy, but human rights abuses have continued and worsened, President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, Frank Habineza, and Australian Greens Leader, Bob Brown, warned today. The Commonwealth should take action or risk Rwanda becoming another Zimbabwe. Without swift action, the calls will become louder to suspend the Commonwealth s newest member, Senator Brown said. The entry of Rwanda into the Commonwealth in 2009 was allowed despite suspicions of political abuses being undertaken by the Government. A coalition of Greens in Commonwealth nations, including Senator Brown, warned against Rwanda being admitted without conditions being placed on its entry, Mr Habineza said. The 2010 Presidential elections saw the Kagame government becoming increasingly intolerant towards the central role that opposition parties and a free media have in robust democracies, Mr Habineza said. Senator Brown and Mr Habineza call on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to undertake the following steps in the next 12 months : • Fund the provision of ballot box seals which are uniquely numbered or identifiable, to ensure security seals are a security feature for the next Chamber of Deputies election in Rwanda in 2013 ; • Provide observers to oversee the registration of opposition political parties in the six month leading up to the next election, and advise if there have been irregularities in this process ; • Request the Government to re-open the investigation into the death of the Green Party Vice President, Andre Kagwa Rwisereka which occurred on 14 July 2010 ; • Seek input from civil society organisations like Friends of Rwandan Greens ; and, • Pressure the Rwandan Government to release political prisoners and jailed journalists, and letting the independent media operate freely. Around the globe Green MPs will be watching to ensure the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group is taking active steps to improve democracy in Rwanda, Senator Brown said. Concerns have already been expressed by Human Rights Watch, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Amnesty International and also the Commonwealth Observer Group that democracy in Rwanda is being undermined. �Nothing else in the world not all the armies is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.�Victor Hugo.

jeudi 20 octobre 2011

Friends of Rwandan Greens (FoRG) call upon the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia, to prevail on the Government of Rwanda and ensure that democracy and human rights are upheld and end the political impasse in the country. Rwanda was permitted to join the Commonwealth in 2009 despite serious concerns being expressed by the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, said Frank Habineza, President, Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, speaking from Sweden. The concern that Rwanda would not be able to meet the Commonwealth principles was supported by the Commonwealth Green Parties and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. These concerns have now been further validated by reports made by the Human Rights Watch, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Amnesty International and also the Commonwealth Observer Group from the 2010 Presidential election. We encouraged the Commonwealth to scrutinise Rwanda s human rights record and at least wait to see if the August 2010 Presidential elections would be free and fair before allowing Rwanda s entry, said Mr Habineza. The Commonwealth did not wait, Rwanda was accepted and now there is not a single registered opposition party or independent media house in the country. In 2009, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Stephen Smith MP, assured Australian Greens leader Bob Brown that Australia supported Rwanda s Commonwealth membership aspirations because the Commonwealth will do the country a service by helping to entrench the rule of law and support the Rwandan Government s efforts towards democracy and economic growth . The Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd MP, must keep the word of his predecessor and ensure that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group ensures Rwanda upholds fundamental Commonwealth values and deal with violations. The Commonwealth must acknowledge the responsibility that they have assumed for accepting the entry of Rwanda. The international community has a critical role to play in supporting Rwanda to realise its full democratic potential and the Commonwealth owes it to Rwanda to not let the horrors of 1994 to reoccur, said Amy Tyler, Spokesperson, Friends of Rwandan Greens. Rwanda s democracy is struggling. The Freedom House rates the country as not free with a downward trend in political rights and civil liberties. The international community has a critical role to play in Rwanda because, as the Freedom House explains, the trending decline in freedoms coincides with a growing inability or unwillingness on the part of the world s democracies to meet the authoritarian challenge , Amy Tyler said. Western Australia Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said CHOGM should provide an opportunity to focus on human rights violations within the Commonwealth, not only in Rwanda, it is an opportunity the host country, Australia, cannot throw away. For CHOGM to be relevant, for the Commonwealth itself to mean anything, it must have strong, enforceable human rights standards . The Rwandan Government is not the only one in the Commonwealth that needs to be held to account, and the Australian Greens will continue to push for the Commonwealth to take a decisive stand on human rights, Senator Ludlam said. The Commonwealth must heed these concerns at CHOGM in Perth 2011 and consider how to ensure Rwanda is not another Zimbabwe and is able to meet their commitment to the Commonwealth principles enshrined in the Harare Declaration. Friends of Rwandan Greens, call upon the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the Commonwealth Secretariat to : • Speak out openly against human rights abuses, political oppression and media censorship in Rwanda ; • Use bi-lateral and international Aid to enforce democracy and rule of law in Rwanda ; • Ensure the release of all political prisoners and jailed journalists ; and • Resolve the mystery of the murder of the Green Party Vice President, Andre Kagwa Rwisereka. For more information, please contact : Amy Tyler, Spokesperson for Friends of the Rwandan Greens (FoRG) Tel : +61 400 550 140, Email : 22tyler@gmail.com