Kagame releases Professor Erlinder on medical grounds

By Ann Garrison

June 17, 2010 - The Associated Press reported this morning that Rwanda had released U.S. Law Professor Peter Erlinder from a Rwandan Prison on bail, due to medical conditions. Erlinder remained in a Kigali Hospital due to high blood pressure.

At first the AP reported that it was unclear whether he will be allowed to leave Rwanda or remain there, under house arrest, like Rwandan presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, whom he traveled to Rwanda to defend against the same "genocide ideology" charges that he was arrested for within days of his arrival.

However, Erlinder's daughter Sarah, within minutes of the AP report, reported, on her Facebook group page "Free Prof. Erlinder Now":

Erlinder family photos


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Law Professor Peter Erlinder with his daughter Sarah, when she was a child. Sarah Erlinder announced her father's unconditional release in Rwanda this morning.​

"Unconditional release on bail, can return to the US!!! It's not over, and we won't believe it until he's home, but today is a very good day for all of us!!"

Friends and supporters of Professor Peter Erlinder, and of Rwanda's opposition political parties, had been tensely awaiting news of the ruling all morning, watching Sarah Erlinder's group page, where someone nervously asked for news of Peter's health, given that the Rwanda News Agency had reported this morning, that Erlinder remained hospitalized for high blood pressure in Kigali.

Earlier this week the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda called for Erlinder's release, stating that he is immune from prosecution for his work there representing Rwandans accused of genocide related crime, which the prosecution had offered as evidence of his guilt in Rwanda.

Erlinder's lawyer Kennedy Ogeto, who is also a defense lawyer at the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda, had said that Erlinder's arrest set a dangerous international legal precedent which could make it impossible for any lawyer to defend anyone accused in an international court without fearing arrest and prosecution in a country that disagrees with his defense and/or with the court's decision.
Earlier in the week, Kurt Kerns, Erlinder's Co Plaintiff's Counsel in Habyarimana vs. Kagame, said, "At least Kagame took care of our process service issue himself. Since the prosecution introduced Habyarimana vs. Kagame, and quoted language within it, as evidence in court, Kagme and his people can't claim they haven't seen it."

The wrongful death lawsuit, brought on behalf of Agathe Habyarimana and Sylvana Ntaryamira, widows of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira, accuses Kagame and top officers and officials with ordering the assassination of the two presidents that triggered the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, and with racketeering to plunder the resources of neighboring D.R. Congo---all at a cost of seven million African lives.

source: digital journal

Huyu Kagame nae naona anataka kunyea kambi, wakimgeuzia kibao huyu hata salama yake itakuwa matata.

Ndugu wana Jamii,

Baada ya kusoma kuhusu kukamatwa kwa huyu Mmarekani, Mr. Peter Erlinder, nchini Rwanda nimesoma kuhusu hili sakata na nimejiuliza mambo mengi sana. Kati ya hayo ni kuhusu uhalali wa Laywers/ wanasheria kusimamia kitu "wasichokikubali" kwa ajili ya kupata pesa na pili ni double standard katika mataifa ambapo mataifa madogo hayana haki ya kuhoji mataifa makubwa wala watu wake.

Kwanza, huyu Erlinder ni Mmarekani ambayo inakubali kuwa genocide imefanyika nchini Rwanda. Je anapingana na serikali yake inayokubali hilo? Je kama amekuwa akiwatetea watuhumiwa walioko ICTR kwa kukana kutokea kwa genocide wakati mahakama yenyewe ndiyo jukumu lake, ni kutaka apate pesa au ni kwa kuwa anaamini kuwa hakuna genocide? Au kutetea "haki" for the sake of it? Hapa nina wasiwasi kwani ilinakiliwa na media y US kuwa Erlinder aliomba aachiliwe ili akosoe aliyo yasema kukana genocide!

Pili, sijawahi kusikia Mmarekani yeyote akipinga Jewish Holocaust na pia hawatangazi kuichukulia sheria Israel ambayo inawanyanyasa wa Palestina. Na kama atakuwepo sijui ataadhibiwa kiasi gani

Kuhusu uamuzi wa Rwanda, Marekani imekuwa na kigugumizi kwani walisema aachiwe kwa kuwa hana afya nzuri ikiwa ni pamoja na kuwa ana tatizo la kiakili (kichaa). Hili nimeliona kama tatizo la kutotaka kukanusha genocide kwani Rais Bill Clinton alikiri alipokuwa Rwanda mwaka 2000 (kama sikosei)

Mwisho, nikuomba wana Jamii tuangalie kiundani, kweli wanasheria waendelee kuwa juu ya sheria? Hata kama wako mahakamani watetee hata kitu wasichoafiki ilmradi wapate pesa? I think it is high time that everyone has to be accountable in any job.

Wanyarwanda nao wamejitetea hivi: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14295&article=30425

Anjo

Lakini kwa maoni yangu sidhani kama kukana kwamba hapakuwa na genecide ni kosa ambalo linaweza kumuweka mtu gerezani kwenye mataifa yaliyo na demokrasia.

Hii ni inaonyesha Afrika hatuna ustahimilivu kwa vitu tusivyovipenda, kila mtu ana uhuru wa kutoa maoni yake na kuamini anavyoona yeye ni sawa. Ukimwambia Kikwete kuwa CCM haifai kuendelea kupewa dhamana kwa sababu imeshindwa kutatua kero za wananchi hatakubali, lakini akikuweka ndani kwa sababu unakataa kuwa CCM imeleta maendeleo Tanzania itakuwa ni kwenda mbali zaidi.

Nadhani wanaopinga genecide waachwe wapinge na wengi wataamua kama wanayoyasema ni kweli au la.
Tatizo la Rwanda ni kubwa zaidi kuliko wengi tunavyolidhania na haliwezi kwa kupitisha sheria ya kumshitaki kila anayepinga kutokea genocide, ningekuwa Kagame ningeruhusu dialogue ili ukweli ujulikane na wahusika wote wawajibike kwa haki. Siyo wale tu walioua kwa sababu walichokozwa ndiyo waonekane wana makosa, waliowachokoza ndiyo walioanzisha kadhia yote na wao wanatakiwa kuwajibika kwa mchango wao.

anjo said:

Ndugu wana Jamii,

Baada ya kusoma kuhusu kukamatwa kwa huyu Mmarekani, Mr. Peter Erlinder, nchini Rwanda nimesoma kuhusu hili sakata na nimejiuliza mambo mengi sana. Kati ya hayo ni kuhusu uhalali wa Laywers/ wanasheria kusimamia kitu "wasichokikubali" kwa ajili ya kupata pesa na pili ni double standard katika mataifa ambapo mataifa madogo hayana haki ya kuhoji mataifa makubwa wala watu wake.

Kwanza, huyu Erlinder ni Mmarekani ambayo inakubali kuwa genocide imefanyika nchini Rwanda. Je anapingana na serikali yake inayokubali hilo? Je kama amekuwa akiwatetea watuhumiwa walioko ICTR kwa kukana kutokea kwa genocide wakati mahakama yenyewe ndiyo jukumu lake, ni kutaka apate pesa au ni kwa kuwa anaamini kuwa hakuna genocide? Au kutetea "haki" for the sake of it? Hapa nina wasiwasi kwani ilinakiliwa na media y US kuwa Erlinder aliomba aachiliwe ili akosoe aliyo yasema kukana genocide!

Pili, sijawahi kusikia Mmarekani yeyote akipinga Jewish Holocaust na pia hawatangazi kuichukulia sheria Israel ambayo inawanyanyasa wa Palestina. Na kama atakuwepo sijui ataadhibiwa kiasi gani

Kuhusu uamuzi wa Rwanda, Marekani imekuwa na kigugumizi kwani walisema aachiwe kwa kuwa hana afya nzuri ikiwa ni pamoja na kuwa ana tatizo la kiakili (kichaa). Hili nimeliona kama tatizo la kutotaka kukanusha genocide kwani Rais Bill Clinton alikiri alipokuwa Rwanda mwaka 2000 (kama sikosei)

Mwisho, nikuomba wana Jamii tuangalie kiundani, kweli wanasheria waendelee kuwa juu ya sheria? Hata kama wako mahakamani watetee hata kitu wasichoafiki ilmradi wapate pesa? I think it is high time that everyone has to be accountable in any job.

Wanyarwanda nao wamejitetea hivi: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14295&article=30425

Anjo

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Kila mtu analazimiswa kuamini kwamba Genocide ilifanyika against Tutsis not Rwandans! ukibisha hilo ujue unajitia kitanzini mwenyewe!!!

nendeni Germany,Netherland,Israel etc mseme holocaust haikutokea then mrudi kuandika hapa kilichowatokea, wewe babukijana naona bado una fight the lost war & failed ideologue, unatakiwa kwenu ukajibu mashtaka ya genocide...acha kujificha!

Kagame is a benevolent dictator, period.

Koba said:

nendeni Germany,Netherland,Israel etc mseme holocaust haikutokea then mrudi kuandika hapa kilichowatokea,wewe interahamwe babukijana naona bado una fight the lost war & failed idealogue,unatakiwa kwenu ukajibu mashtaka ya genocide...acha kujificha!

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Well put. Tatizo sisi waafrika hatujiamini..ndo maana wazungu wanatunyea kichwani and we smile and say thank you. Who is Erlinder anyway? coz he is American basi awe na uhuru wa kukiuka sheria za nchi? Let him face the music then maybe hao wazungu watatuheshimu...Imagine the american government imefyata mkia on this issue...if you want to see try arresting an american citizen here uone what is going to happen!! You will never know what hit you! If only africa had like 10 Kagame's!