Rwanda's+Radio



The radio is an essential tool to the population of Rwanda. Rwanda has a very low literacy rate and as a result the most effective way to communicate to large groups is through the radio. There are two predominant radio stations in Rwanda the Rwanda Radio and the RTML or [|Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines] and both supported the genocide. They spurred the hutus on with constant directions of Tutsis' hidding places and constant racial slurrs like "kill the tutsi cockroachess." One of the most disturbing was the suggestion "do not kill them with bullets use your machete" In Rwanda, newspapers rarely printed more than 3,000 copies of an issue and they circulated mainly in Kigali, where they sold for high prices that further limited their readership. With 400,000 to 500,000 AM/FM/shortwave radio receivers in homes and offices, and seven FM radio relay transmitters providing regular radio service to most of the country, Radio Rwanda and the privately-owned Radio RTLM were the major means of disseminating hate propaganda and provocative false news among the mass of Rwanda’s people

The begining of the government's use of propaganda to fuel their own purposes began in 1992. On 3 March 1992, the radio repeatedly broadcast a communiqué supposedly sent by a human rights group based in Nairobi warning that Hutu in Bugesera would be attacked by Tutsi. Local officials built on the radio announcement to convince Hutu that they needed to protect themselves by attacking first. Led by soldiers from a nearby military base, Hutu civilians, members of the //Interahamwe//, a militia attached to the MRND party, and local Hutu civilians attacked and killed hundreds of Tutsi (International Commission 1993: 13–14).

As the tension between Hutu and Tutsi grew to the point of the genocide so did the radio's influence in Rwanda as a tool for controlling the racial tension had been cemented. During the genocide "the Rwandan state radio, controlled by Hutu extremists, further encouraged the killings by broadcasting non-stop hate propaganda and even pinpointed the locations of Tutsis in hiding. The killers were aided by members of the Hutu professional class including journalists, doctors and educators, along with unemployed Hutu youths and peasants who killed Tutsis just to steal their property. Many Tutsis took refuge in churches and mission compounds. Ironically, these places became the scenes of some of the worst massacres. In one case, at Musha, 1,200 Tutsis who had sought refuge were killed beginning at 8 a.m. lasting until the evening. Hospitals also became prime targets as wounded survivors were sought out then killed. In some local villages, militiamen forced Hutus to kill their Tutsi neighbors or face a death sentence for themselves and their entire families. They also forced Tutsis to kill members of their own families. "

Georges Ruggiu

Radio broadcaster of RTML was one of the numberous radio hosts who supported the genocide. After the genocide he fled to neighboring Zaire. Later fleeing into Kenya changing his name and before escaping againg was caught in 1997 by Kenyan authorities. On July 23, 1997, Ruggiu was arrested in Mombasa at the request of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and moved to the site of the tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania. Ruggiu was charged with "direct and public incitement to commit genocide" and "crimes against humanity (persecution)". During his three-year long trial, Ruggiu expressed regret for his part in events, saying, "I admit that it was indeed a genocide and that unfortunately I took part in it." Ruggiu acknowledged his role in the genocide, admitting that he: “ ...incited murders and caused serious attacks on the physical and/or mental well-being of members of the Tutsi population with the intention of destroying, in whole or in part, an ethnic or racial group. ” He accepted responsibility for his actions, stating "certain people were killed in Rwanda in 1994 and that I was responsible and culpable." Ruggiu detailed the inner workings of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, stating the radio station was used to convey "the ideology and plans of Hutu extremists in Rwanda."

On May 15, 2000, Ruggiu pleaded guilty to both charges, and was sentenced to twelve years in prison by the “International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for incitement to commit genocide”. His sentence was greatly shortened, after agreeing to testify against three suspects who allegedly used the media, most notably RTLM, to fuel the genocide in Rwanda. Rwanda protested the sen tence as inadequate. Interestingly he was native to italy and only moved into Rwanda in 1992. He befriended a hutu and seemingly moved into the conflict. Later writing and broadcasting constant information to kill tutsis egging the hutus on. "graves were wainting to be filled" In February 2008, Ruggiu was flown to Italy to serve out the rest of his 12-year sentence in his country of citizenship. On 21 April 2009, Ruggiu was granted early release by the Italian authorities, a violation of the ICTR Statute

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