- Sale of narcotics.
- Burglary.
- Assault.
- Home invasion.
- Murder.
- GENOCIDE and CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY.
According to THIS New York Times article, Grégoire Ndahimana has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity. Wait, what?!
During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Grégoire Ndahimana was the mayor of Kivumu, which is described in the article as "one of the bloodiest killing fields in the campaign to eradicate the ethnic minority." In 1994, Ndahimana took part in the slaughter of thousands of Tutsis, including organizing a ruse in which a local priest promised refuge in his church, only to eventually bulldoze the building, killing all 2,000 inside.
Forty-three genocidaires have been convicted in the ICTR, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, a special UN tribunal organized to prosecute top leaders and organizers of the genocide. (Lower level participants have been prosecuted in local Gacaca Courts, not international courts.)
I AM OUTRAGED... to say the least. Fifteen years? Fifteen years for GENOCIDE?! For CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY?! What are we THINKING?!
Every action that international governing bodies take (I'm looking at you, UN...) have direct and sometimes severe consequences. These decisions send ripples around the world. What does it say that organizing a genocide, which is in my humble opinion the most violent and atrocious crime against humanity, gets you the same prison sentence as a drug offense? As a burglary?
Imagine for a moment if this had happened under different circumstances in America. If a murderer had organized the slaughter of thousands, would he get 15 years? Would people be outraged at such a verdict? If cases like OJ Simpson, Casey Anthony, and the like garner so much public upheaval, so much anger and disgust, why not the case of Ndahimana? Why?
This decision by the ICTR should offend the humanity of every single citizen of the world. It makes a complete mockery of the pain and loss felt by millions of Rwandans, and by extension, by millions more around the world. It makes a mockery of the gravity of genocide. A mockery of the idea of international justice, of any sort of justice at all.
Hate is a frightening thing, my friends, and it is far too prevalent in our world. Sometimes, oftentimes, it seems like there is no solution, but I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that the world is populated by hateful and indifferent individuals. The least we can do here is feel the sadness. Feel the loss. And get angry about ignorance and make a conscious choice to fight it.
All we can ever really do... is be the change. It sounds naive, but its all there is. And when we all make the decision to embody the ideals we uphold, to share our passions and our fears and our ideals, we slowly begin to change our world.
"We are simply human beings, enfolded in weakness and in hope, called together to change our world one heart at a time."
-Jean Vanier
Sad, isn't it? I pray that one day, eyes will open and see the absurdity and total disrespect for life. If not in my lifetime, then at least in yours. I have faith. Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" is a favorite of mine. "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change!"
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