Detained YouTube Politician Tells Court That Prosecuting Investigator Tortured Him Psychologically
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Hakuzimana Abdoul Rashid, the political figure arrested three weeks ago accused of negating 1994 genocide against Tutsi in YouTube videos, appeared this Wednesday for his second bail hearing.
In the last hearing, Hakizinana said he had no lawyer. The session was move to today.
At Wednesday’s hearing, with attorney Felix Rudakemwa, who is Dr Leon Mugesera’s lawyer, Hakizimana informed the Nyarugenge primary court that it should rule on his illegal detention before bail hearings begin.
Prosecution is charging him with denying the genocide, negating the genocide, spreading ethnic divisions and spreading rumours. Prosecution says all these cases were committed in YouTube videos where he appeared being interviewed.
However, given space to speak, Hakizinana and his lawyer said the investigating prosecutor who interviewed him, tortured him psychologically. The investigator is said to have wondered whether Hakizinana didn’t learn from his previous 8-year jail term.
The investigator reportedly let it be known to Hakizinana that he would ensure he went to jail for a longtime by bundling together as many cases as possible.
Hakizinana told court that the investigating prosecutor instead of doing his job by conducting interview and writing down what was said, he was threatening the suspect.
It is the reason the prosecution dossier before court has no responses from the suspect Hakizinana. The suspect’s forms are empty.
However, when asked to speak, the prosecution said Hakizinana’s responses are not in the file because he refused to speak as he was before investigators.
Prosecution claims that Hakizinana, in the cited YouTube videos, repeatedly said: ‘those who are not commemorated should also be accorded commemoration’.
By this, according to prosecution, Hakizinana is suggesting there was a double genocide in Rwanda.
This charge has become common in many cases involving politicians and journalists.
The judge said he will make a ruling on November 22.
