UPDATED ON:
Thursday, November 20, 2008
14:56 Mecca time, 11:56 GMT
 
News Europe
Rwandan official charged in France
Rwandans have strongly protested
against the arrest of Kabuye [AFP]

French judicial officials have charged a key aide of Rwanda's president over the assassination of a former president of the country, amid national protests over her arrest.

Germany extradited Rose Kabuye, who now serves as chief of protocol to President Paul Kagame, 10 days after police acting on a French warrant arrested her as she arrived at Frankfurt airport.

The French warrant connected Kabuye to the downing of an aircraft in 1994 in which Juvenal Habyarimana, then Rwanda's president, was killed.

French officials took charge of her in Frankfurt, and she was flown to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris aboard an Air France aeroplane.

From there she was transferred to the main law courts in Paris to appear before Marc Trevidic, an anti-terrorism investigating magistrate, Bernard Maingain, Kabuye's lawyer, told the AFP news agency.

Under investigation

Judicial officials confirmed that Kabuye was put under judicial investigation - in effect, charged - with "complicity in murder in relation to terrorism".

She was later released on condition she not leave France without permission and appear when requested by magistrates, her lawyers said.

Kagame, left, has condemned the arrest
of his chief of protocol [AFP]
"I'm not so scared because I am very innocent," Kabuye said on the France24 television news channel after being released.

"I know that when I get a chance to explain what happened everything will be okay, so I am not scared."

Habyarimana's death sparked a genocide which consequently engulfed the country.

Authorities in France began investigating the attack because the two pilots of the aircraft were French.

They suspect Kabuye of housing the Tutsi commando unit blamed for shooting down the jet.

Hutus killed more than 500,000 people, mostly minority Tutsis, before fighters led by Kagame drove them from the country.

His government claims that France armed the Hutu militias and former government troops who led the genocide.

Kigali protests

Thousands of Rwandans turned out to protest in Kigali, the country's capital, on Wednesday against the expected extradition.

Yvonne Ndege, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Kigali, said: "There has been a huge amount of public anger over the extradition ... she is considered a heroic figure here.

"People have been protesting all over the country. They are demanding an immediate release of Rose Kabuye and a repatriation of her to her home in Rwanda.

"All evidence that we have seen is that most of these protests have been organised by community leaders and individuals who are simply outraged by her arrest.

"Bear in mind that she is credited with being part of the new government that put an end to the genocide here in 1994. Women have been chaining themselves to the gates of the German embassy here."

 Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 4
 
Roland
Germany
20/11/2008
Criminals on all sides
Hey Rwanda don't be sad. Maybe if you pardon us, we the Germans will give you in return, Mr. Kouchner (by his first official visit in Berlin) :-) You all know this so-called "kosher-Socialist" that brought you weapons under the Red-Cross & Medecins Sans Frontieres -cover. As criminal as your "Cinderella". It's a good deal, isn't it?

Dr. Ngayihembako Sambili Daniel
Afghanistan
26/11/2008
Where is justice?
Let be sober about the arrest of Rose Kabuye, let justice be served. We all know that there is no smoke without fire. We hope that the french judicial system will uncover the truth

hashim
Kenya
01/12/2008
One man's Poison Is Another Man's Food. The french should return the Africa's wealth they have stolen from us(Africans) during colonial Period and stop interfearing with our affairs. Return Our Lady. she is Hero in her own country.

Robert Cebe
United States
04/12/2008
What is the true motive of the french
The French were heavy involved behind the scene in the 1994 Rwandan conflict. The Tutsi wanted for decades, self rule amount its own people (both Tutsi and Hutu). However the French wanted to surmise into local Rwandese & Burundian Politics. The French wanted to maintain their influence and interest in the region. The French secretly trained and provided weapons to Hutus, which created a rapid strong and unmanageable response to kill so many Tutsi.

 
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