Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 18:20:38 +0300 (BEAUT)
From: IRIN <irin@ocha.unon.org>
To: IRIN - English Service <english@ocha.unon.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1001102181725.473H-100000@mail.ocha.unon.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Subject: GREAT LAKES: IRIN-CEA Update 1,044  [2001102]
Precedence: bulk
Sender: IRIN Africa English Service <africa-english@ocha.unon.org>


U N I T E D  N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network
for Central and Eastern Africa

Tel: +254 2 622147
Fax: +254 2 622129
e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org

IRIN-CEA Update 1,044 for the Great Lakes (Thursday 2 November)

CONTENTS:

RWANDA: Prisons in "deplorable" situation
RWANDA: Kagame walkout of COMESA denied
RWANDA: Rwanda to reduce COMESA tariffs by 60 percent
RWANDA: Defence counsel calls for release of former mayor
DRC: Private stations renamed
DRC: Authorities clamp down on unauthorised journalists
BURUNDI: Former president comments on peace process


RWANDA: Prisons in "deplorable" situation

The UN Special Representative on the human rights situation in Rwanda,
Michel Moussalli, on Thursday said that while the number of prisoners in
the country had decreased slightly since 1999, lack of resources and the
drought of the past year had created a "deplorable situation". He told a
UN committee hearing that some of those incarcerated for common law crimes
went without food for four days, while overcrowding had forced prisoners
to be divided into "shifts" for sitting or sleeping. He said the ministry
of interior was taking "corrective steps". The first of such measures
would be communal projects which would allow prisoners to work outside
prisons.  Secondly, he noted, that the rate of case examinations had
increased this year, even though it would still take 200 years for the
present judicial system to examine the remaining cases before it. 

For that reason, Moussalli said, the Rwandan traditional justice system,
known as 'gacaca', was being revived. He said the court system would
probably be applied early next year. It required the election of some
256,000 judges at the 'cellule' level, he noted. "If basic safeguards are
respected and applied, it is to be commended," Moussalli said. "Obviously,
the logistics and training requirements are considerable and will need the
support of the international community." 

RWANDA: Kagame walkout of COMESA denied

President Paul Kagame's press secretary has denied reports that the
Rwandan leader walked out of the ongoing COMESA trade summit in Lusaka,
Zambia, in protest at comments by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Nicholas Shalita told IRIN that Kagame "attended the entire opening
session of the COMESA summit, sitting through all the speeches until the
lunch break". He stressed that Rwanda "maintains open channels of
communication with the government of Zimbabwe and other parties in the DRC
conflict, with a view to finding a speedy and peaceful resolution to the
conflict". He noted that Kagame had met recently with both Mugabe and DRC
President Laurent-Desire Kabila to discuss full implementation of the
Lusaka peace accord and peace in the region. A news agency report said
Kagame and his Burundian counterpart Pierre Buyoya left the meeting on
Tuesday after Mugabe allegedly referred to them as "warmongers". 

RWANDA: Rwanda to reduce COMESA tariffs by 60 percent

Rwanda's Commerce Minister, Alexandre Iyambabaje, said on Wednesday his
country would reduce its Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA) tariffs by 60 percent. Rwandan radio quoted him as saying in his
report to COMESA ministers that his country supported a COMESA initiative
for 100 percent reduction "but would reduce the tariffs by only 60 percent
until the implementation of the compensation mechanism". Some nine out of
20 COMESA countries effected from Wednesday a 100 percent tariff reduction
on goods from COMESA member countries. Iyambabaje said that Rwanda would
incur the equivalent of a US $3 million deficit if it implemented a 100
percent tariff reduction. Burundi also said it would reduce its tariffs by
60 percent. 

RWANDA: Defence counsel calls for release of former mayor

The defence counsel of former Rwandan mayor, Jean-Paul Akayesu, on
Wednesday asked the Appeals Court of the International Criminal Tribunal
for Rwanda (ICTR) to overturn his conviction for genocide and order for
his release. The independent Hirondelle news service quoted Akayesu's
lawyers as arguing that the judges had not exercised "reasonable doubt"
when assessing the evidence. "This Tribunal is founded on the principle
that there must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt," they said. "It should
follow the criterion of what is probable." They further said that
Akayesu's indictment had been amended in an "irregular" way, which
violated his rights. The indictment was amended during Akayesu's trial to
include charges of rape. Akayesu, a former mayor of Taba in central
Rwanda, was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity and
sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998. 

DRC: Private stations renamed

Communications Minister Dominique Sakombi Inongo has renamed two erstwhile
private stations, which were recently nationalised, the Kinshasa-based
watchdog organisation Journaliste en Danger (JED) reported on Wednesday. 
Canal Kin has been renamed RTNC-3 (Radiotelevision nationale congolaise)
and RTKM (Radiotelevision Kin-Malebo) was renamed RTNC-4. To date, the
government has complete control of four radio and television stations, JED
pointed out. Canal Kin was owned by the Bemba Saolona family - the father
being a former minister in President Laurent-Desire Kabila's government,
and the son leads the rebel Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC).
"Minister Sakombi's measures have not posed a problem for Canal Kin, which
only broadcasts films and cultural or religious programming. However RTKM
journalists and other employees continue to reject what they refer to as a
'takeover by force' against their station," JED said. 

DRC: Authorities clamp down on unauthorised journalists

The Goma-based Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) 
recently issued a directive through its communication and cultural affairs
department, warning that photo journalists "who are not recognised" by the
South Kivu section of the Union of Congolese Journalists will "no longer
operate in Bukavu". Rebel-controlled radio from Bukavu reported the
directive requires that journalists, both local and foreign, must carry
their accreditation cards to "avoid having their material confiscated". 

BURUNDI: Former president comments on peace process

Former Burundian president Sylvestre Ntibantunganya has said the recently
signed Burundi peace accord should be "urgently approved and ratified" by
the transitional national assembly, the private NetPress news agency
reported. He said it was after this that the accord would move from being
"a contract between politicians to a truly national contract". "The
country's entire political community must quickly do everything to remove
the obstacles hindering the implementation of the Arusha accord, so that
there is no excuse for the rebels' continued refusal to sign the ceasefire
accord," he said. Ntibantunganya, a member of the opposition FRODEBU
party, is of the opinion that the second stage would be to adopt a
"temporary immunity" law to permit the return of exiled leaders and to
resolve the issue of political prisoners who, he said, include "those who
are awaiting judgment and whose cases are being handled with excessive
delay". "Rebel leaders must join [the peace process] as there is no other
alternative left," he added. 

Nairobi, 2 November 2000, 15:20 gmt

[ENDS]


[IRIN-CEA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: irin-cea@ocha.unon.org ]


[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000
 

Subscriber: zdwf-@t-online.de
Keyword: IRIN-CEA