Rwandans in France shed light on petition against Radio France

The Rwandan Community in France (RCF) has shed light on a formal petition it recently filed to ARCOM, France’s media regulator, accusing Radio France Internationale (RFI) of providing an “uncritical platform” to the FDLR , a group internationally recognised for its genocidal origins and stance. According to the RCF, an RFI article gave space to a spokesperson of the FDLR, ignoring the group’s role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, its long record of atrocities in eastern DR Congo, and its designation under various UN, U.S., and EU sanctions regimes. The RCF argues that this constitutes a breach of France’s media laws, France Médias Monde’s editorial obligations, and RFI’s own code of ethics. Which laws and obligations did RFI allegedly violate? Speaking on behalf of RCF, Richard Gisagara, a Rwandan lawyer based in France, said the article violates key provisions of the 1986 Law on Freedom of Communication, which requires audiovisual media to provide honest, independent, pluralistic, and rigorously verified information. He also cited France Médias Monde’s cahier des charges, which requires respect for human dignity, promotion of democratic values, contextualised and rigorous information, and a prohibition against turning public media into a tool for propaganda. Additionally, he pointed to RFI’s internal editorial charter which requires special caution when covering armed groups, contextualisation of sensitive information, and strict verification of their claims to avoid acting as a “loudspeaker” for violent organisations. How the article allegedly failed Gisagara says the RFI article described the FDLR merely as “one of the oldest armed groups in eastern Congo,” omitting, their genocidal formation and ideology, history of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, and mass killings, and designation and sanctions by international actors. He added that RFI presented lengthy FDLR claims, including accusations against UNHCR and assertions of political legitimacy, without challenge, verification, or context. “This amounts to a failure of rigour and honesty,” he said, adding that it also misleads the public and effectively turns a public broadcaster into a platform for extremist propaganda. What RCF is asking ARCOM to do Gisagara highlighted that in its referral, the RCF requests ARCOM to review the broadcast and article under the 1986 law and France Médias Monde’s obligations, confirm the alleged breaches, misleading information, de-contextualisation, and disrespect for victims. Then, the ARCOM should order corrective measures, including a possible published correction that clearly states the FDLR’s genocidal nature, and impose sanctions if appropriate, consistent with precedent. If ARCOM takes no action, Gisagara says the RCF is ready to pursue further legal avenues. “Our objective is not censorship,” he emphasised, “but the enforcement of legal and ethical standards that bind public-service media.” Why narratives legitimising the FDLR are dangerous According to Gisagara, such narratives have profound consequences as they blur the record, encourage revisionism of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and ignore the continuity between the 1994 génocidaires and their reorganisation within groups like the FDLR. Furthermore, he added that another consequence is related to regional security risks. Here, he argued that the FDLR has committed atrocities for nearly three decades in eastern DR Congo, and therefore, presenting them as legitimate interlocutors normalises armed genocidaires and fuels cycles of violence. Another effect is harm to survivors, where failing to name the FDLR as genocidal group retraumatises survivors and undermines efforts to fight impunity. What precedent this case could set for media RCF hopes the case reinforces that the media must never present genocidal or terrorist groups as ordinary political actors. Gisagara says newsrooms should adopt minimum safeguards, systematic contextualisation whenever groups are designated for genocide, terrorism, or grave crimes.

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Rwandans in France shed light on petition against Radio France