Rwanda ’s packed prisons and genocide ideology law

“Genocide ideology” became a crime in Rwanda in 2003, the same year President Paul Kagame officially became Rwanda’s president, with that year’s ratification of the new Rwandan Constitution, which includes Article 13: “The crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes do not have a period of limitation. “Revisionism, negationism and trivialisation of genocide are punishable by the law.” Today, 62 percent of the people packed into Rwanda’s prisons have been charged or convicted of genocide-related crimes and some of the country’s most admired leaders are being accused of the “genocide ideology” thought crime. Most prominent are Victoire Ingabire, Kagame’s strongest competitor for the presidency, and Paul Rusesabagina, the hero portrayed in the film “Hotel Rwanda,” who is charged with “Double Genocide Theory.” Meet Paul Rusesabagina, Foundation President and inspiration for the film Hotel Rwanda from Paul Rusesabagina on Vimeo. Article 13 criminalizesnot only genocidal violence but also disagreement with the received history of the Rwanda Genocide, which has become a major issue in Rwanda’s 2010 presidential election. Many academics, journalists and human rights investigators, the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda and Judge Fernando Andreu of Spain’s National Court now disagree with the received history of who and how...