PRESS RELEASE No 2019/05/23
The MRCD-FLN followed with interest the appearance of Major Callixte Nsabimana Sankara, 2nd Vice-President of the MRCD and former FLN spokesman on 23/05/2019. We reaffirm our support for the eminent patriot Major Sankara who, moreover, remains President of the Rwandan Revolutionary Movement (RRM). We would like to make the following observations, however:
- On the arrest and deportation of Major Callixte Nsabimana Sankara:
- No international standards on arrest and extradition have been met. Rwanda has behaved like a real predator. The MRCD-FLN will appeal to all persons and States involved in the deportation process of Major Callixte Nsabimana Sankara.
- Major Callixte Nsabimana Sankara has been held incommunicado and subjected to torture since his arrival in Kigali and his detention in secret. This implies that his confession was extorted.
- On the indictment of Major Callixte Nsabimana Sankara:
- Excessive and surrealist, the indictment shows a manifest willingness on the part of Kigali to make the accused the gravedigger of the opposition in general and the armed opposition in particular.
- The law repressing terrorism, on which the accusation is based, is devoid of the general and impersonal character, having been adopted only after the beginning of the struggle by the FLN, as to stem all attempts of armed struggle against Kigali.
- On the guilty plea of Major Callixte Nsabimana Sankara:
- We disagree with the blank check of Major Callixte Sankara’s guilty plea, due to the three weeks of intense torture. Indeed, Burundi and Uganda are indexed while these countries have nothing to do with the struggle of the FLN; it is purely and simply a Rwandan-Rwandan conflict.
- We observe that the Callixte Sankara Foundation had requested a complete health check before any appearance, which has not been followed up.
For all these reasons, we categorically refute the indictment of our comrade Major Callixte Nsabimana Sankara, we also reject his plea of general culpability.
The struggle continues.
Done in Brussels, 23/05/2019
Paul Rusesabagina, President of the MRCD
