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Viewing cable 06KIGALI181, RWANDA SENATE ASSERTS AUTONOMY, SUMMONS MINISTERS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06KIGALI181 2006-02-23 15:59 2011-08-24 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kigali
VZCZCXYZ0013
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0181 0541559
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231559Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2405
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
UNCLAS KIGALI 000181 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C AND DRL 
EUCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA SENATE ASSERTS AUTONOMY, SUMMONS MINISTERS 
TO PUBLIC HEARINGS 
 
This is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
1. (U) Summary:  On February 2 and 9, Internal Affairs 
Minister Christophe Bazivamo and Justice Minister Edda 
Mukabagwiza were summoned by the Senate to two public 
hearings to address questions on national security and 
judicial issues.  Senators expressed concerns over serious 
human rights violations, including purported government 
secret detention facilities, reported by the National Human 
 
SIPDIS 
Rights Commission (NHRC).  Senate recommendations from the 
ad hoc hearings included improving public perception of the 
police and publishing regular updates on national security 
policies.  End summary. 
 
2. (U) Pro-government newspaper "The New Times" (TNT) and 
state-owned TV Rwanda and Radio Rwanda reported that 
Internal Affairs Minister Bazivamo denied any knowledge of 
the alleged secret detention centers, saying that "maybe 
people were referring to some ill-equipped detention 
facilities."  In reaction to Bazivamo's statement, Senator 
Ayinkamiye pointed out that secret detention centers were 
mentioned in 2002, 2003 and 2004 NHRC reports, according to 
TNT.  Senator Kubwimana indicated that the reports 
identified a detention center at the Police Criminal 
Investigation Department office in Gikondo sector of Kigali, 
while Senate Vice President Prosper Higiro quoted NHRC 
reports on secret prisons in Kibungo, Eastern Province. 
 
3. (SBU) Quoting Senatorial Committee on Political Affairs 
Chairperson Immaculee Gahima Kayumba, TNT reported that 
committee visits throughout the country revealed that 
several security officials were actively involved in illegal 
detention activities.  TNT reported that "while Bazivamo 
said he was unaware of the existence of any such illegal 
prisons, Mukabagwiza said investigations into the reports 
would be carried out."  When specifically asked about these 
secret detention centers during a meeting with the 
 
SIPDIS 
Ambassador February 23, Police Commissioner General Andrew 
Rwigamba denied the existence of such centers. 
 
4. (U) At a follow-up public hearing on secret prisons 
February 9, Bazivamo focused on police stations and central 
prison detentions.  The Minister promised that any illegal 
detention cases in secret facilities would be individually 
investigated and persons responsible would be prosecuted. 
Concluding the public hearing, Senate President Vincent 
Biruta commented that the explanations of the Internal 
Affairs Minister and Justice Minister were "satisfactory." 
 
5. (U) The Senate made several recommendations to the 
government, including "publishing a report at least once 
monthly about actions taken in implementing policies related 
to security and judicial issues, and progressively working 
on promoting the popularity of police and other security 
organs."  The Senate also recommended that the GOR promptly 
publish its official position whenever human rights reports 
on Rwanda, including the annual NHRC report, are published. 
 
6. (SBU) Comment:  This is not the first time the Parliament 
has asserted its autonomy and summoned ministers to a public 
hearing to address issues of national concern.  The first 
such public hearing, held in 1999, resulted in the dismissal 
of two ministers (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister 
of Transport) for corruption.  Since then, no other 
ministers have been dismissed.  These hearings, open to the 
public and conducted on an ad hoc basis, ensure that Rwandan 
government officials, including high-ranking presidentially 
appointed ministers, continue to be held accountable for 
their actions.  Such hearings also ensure that important 
issues are openly addressed.  Secret detention centers, if 
they were to exist, would be a serious human rights concern 
which would bear close monitoring.  Post intends to pursue 
this question and will report on further developments. 
 
ARIETTI