Amnesty International rejects Safari

KAMPALA - Human rights organization Amnesty Internationl (AI), has turned down former Senator Stanley Safari’s application for protection in his efforts to seek asylum on the basis that his claims are baseless. Safari skipped the country days before he was found guilty of multiple counts of Genocide-related charges, by a Gacaca court in Huye and sentenced to life in prison. Reports from Kampala where he is holed up now, indicate that the human rights organization decided to distance itself from Safari after testimonies from a section of what AI considers credible experts. These include Rwandans and foreigners, who clearly demonstrated that Safari’s claims and alleged security fears were baseless. His presence in Uganda was last week confirmed by members of his own family in their letter to AI seeking for his protection. Reliable sources in Kampala, say upon his arrival Safari checked into the Metropole hotel alongside Acacia Avenue. Commenting early this week to The New Times, Ugandan Ambassador to Rwanda, Richard Kabonero, indicated that should authorities confirm Safari’s presence in Uganda, they would have no choice but to extradite him. “Uganda has no space or place for any person who participated in the Genocide that is why we would not entertain him in anyway,” Kabonero said. Safari was last week found guilty of Genocide and sentenced to life in prison by a Gacaca court in Huye District in the Southern Province. He managed to slip away before he could be sentenced and subsequently the Senate expelled him for his unexplained absence. Ends

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Amnesty International rejects Safari