The Government of Rwanda continues to  express its dismay in the strongest terms possible at the arrest of Mrs. Rose Kabuye, Chief of State Protocol, who had travelled to Germany in her official capacity as part an advance party H.E. President Paul Kagame who was traveling for an official visit.

The Government of Rwanda further stresses the fact that the arrest was effected despite a much publicised request by the African Union to All UN and EU Members in particular to impose a moratorium on the arrest warrants owing to the political nature of the indictments, until such a time that all legal and political issues relating to the case have been exhaustively discussed by all the concerned parties.

It is the position of the Government of Rwanda and others that the arrest of Mrs. Kabuye by the German Authorities was not carried out in legality or good faith. By virtue of her official position and purpose of travel-- of which the Government of Germany was fully aware, Mrs. Kabuye should have enjoyed functional immunity and appropriate diplomatic courtesies.
The Government and people of Rwanda would like to reiterate their unequivocal demand to have Mrs. Rose Kabuye unconditionally released as she is an innocent political hostage, and call upon the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and France to cease the judicial harassment of Rwandan officials.

The Government and the people of Rwanda fully support Mrs. Kabuye’s choice to be tried in France rather than in Germany to clear her name before the court that issued the arrest warrant in the first place. The German authorities have confirmed her transfer to Paris to stand trial today Wednesday, 19th November 2008.

What is the Case against Rose Kabuye?

The case against Mrs. Kabuye stems from a flawed indictment by a French Judge, Jean-Louis Bruguière, who carried out a politically motivated investigation into the 1994 plane crash that claimed the life of then Rwandan President, Juvenal Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira, including a French crew. The judge alleges that the investigation was carried out at the express request of the families of French Nationals who perished in the 1994 plane crash.
Judge Bruguière states that the presidential plane was shot down on the express orders of President Paul Kagame and executed under supervision of senior officers of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) among whom Mrs Rose Kabuye is named.
Judge Bruguière took the strange  and bizarre  step of issuing International Arrest Warrants against all those named in his report without ever giving them a chance to be heard, nor having visited the alleged crime scene. Judge Bruguière against all legal and prosecutorial norms indicted Rwandan officers none all whom he had ever met nor interviewed.

Judge Bruguière’s investigations are purely based on hearsay from individuals close to the genocidal enterprise; from opponents of the current leadership of Rwanda; from French operatives who have something to hide such as Paul Barril, who was in charge of François Mitterrand's wiretap section at the Elyse Palace, and oversaw clandestine operations in Rwanda before 1994; and largely from a former member of the RPF who now lives in Europe, Abdul Ruzibiza. The latter who was touted as principle witness for Judge Bruguière has since publicly retracted his testimony, citing coercion by French authorities to incriminate RPF .

What is the Government of Rwanda’s Response to the Allegations?

The allegations against Rwandan senior military and political officials  are totally baseless and unfounded. The Government of Rwanda believes that the investigation by Judge Bruguière was an ill-conceived attempt by French officials to distract attention and scrutiny at their own government’s intimate involvement in training and arming the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. Information available since 1994 from many independent researchers, from both public and private institutions and reknowned scholars have all demonstrated that the RPF had nothing to do with the downing of Habyarimana’s plane.

The Government and people of Rwanda:

• Fully support Mrs. Rose Kabuye and know that she is innocent. 
• Demand that France release her immediately because the indictment is politically motivated.
• Want a fair and speedy trial, if she is not released.
• Ask the international community to denounce judicial bullying of Rwandan leaders by European judges; and put an end to the abuse of the principle of universal jurisdiction.

Timeline

• Early 90’s: France active on the side of genocide planners in Rwanda
• 1990-1994: France trains, arms genocidal army and militias
• June 1994: France ex-filtrates killers to Democratic Republic of Congo through « Zone Turquoise »
• April 2006: Commission to Establish the truth on France’s Role in the Rwandan Genocide (Mucyo Commission) established
• September 2006: French Judge Bruguière Indictments released
• August 2008: Mucyo Commission releases its report, implicating 33 French political and military officials
• April 2008: Mrs. Rose Kabuye travels to Germany unbothered
• November 9, 2008: Rose Kabuye arrested in Germany
• November 19, 2008: Rose Kabuye transferred to France