Editor, Minister Busingye is right to be skeptical that France will in fact really extradite this genocide suspect for trial. We have seen this game so many times, we can already predict the next step; the French Cour de cassation will, as usual, reverse the lower court’s decision to extradite Mr Innocent Bugabo on the preposterous grounds that when he is said to have committed the crimes in 1994, “genocide was not a crime in Rwanda”. No less an authority than the late Godfather of genocidaires, His Supreme Excellency, the President of the Republic of France, Francois Mitterrand stated so himself. He had, at any rate no qualms in expressing his view that, ‘In such countries, genocide is not too important.’ It is worth recalling that none of his Western peers nor the usually cacophonous self-elected human rights watchdogs that bark incessantly in our ears had anything to say about that. Might it be because, as the French themselves say, “Qui ne dit mot consent?” Remember, for instance, the numerous suspects of genocide crimes, such as Dr Bajinya, who are enjoying UK protection and are unlikely ever to answer for their crimes. Does anyone really still believe these people when they spout their hypocritical nonsense about “Never Again” or the much abused notion Responsibility to Protect? Mwene Kalinda Reaction to the article, ‘‘Govt awaits Bagabo’s extradition from France’’ (The New Times July 5)
