EASTERN PROVINCE

Hundreds of Nyagatare residents on Thursday rallied at the Umutara Polytechnic play ground, to protest the recent arrest of the Director of State Protocol, Rose Kabuye.

Kabuye was arrested in the German city of Frankfurt on November 9 on the basis of international warrants issued in 2006 by the French Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière. The arrest triggered a series of protests country-wide.

The rally was preceded by a march through Nyagatare town streets with the protestors demanding the immediate release of Kabuye.

They carried placards with messages denouncing the French, and the German governments-and dismissed the indictments as politically motivated.

Some of the women demonstrators described Kabuye as the flag-bearer of the women emancipation campaign in the country.

Francine Mukarugwiza, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide, whose ten relatives died in liberation struggle, warned against the manipulation of the justice system.

Nyagatare district Vice-Mayor, Anthelm Rurangwa, wondered why Germany was giving genocide perpetrators sanctuary.

"That’s why we demand the arrest of people like Igenius Murwanasyaka, living safely in Germany, and free (Rose) Kabuye to enjoy the freedom she fought for,” he said.

Murwanasyaka is the leader of the FDLR rebel outfit, which is largely composed of people who perpetrated the Genocide.

The demonstrators said Kabuye’ arrest contravened principles of international justice and diplomatic immunity because she was travelling on a diplomatic passport.

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