Rwanda's Commonwealth application

by Ann Garrison

 

Banner of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda

Members of the Global Greens community keep asking what we can do to protect Interim Rwandan Green Party Leader Frank Habineza and the Rwandan Greens.  One of the only possible pressure points I know of is the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) which objects to accepting Rwanda into the Commonwealth because of repeated human rights violations and invasions of neighboring D.R. Congo.  

The New Times, a Rwandan daily newspaper, reported, in Rwanda: Kagame to Address London Summit, on 11.03.2009, that Paul Kagame is in London right now, prepared to address the first "annual 'Private Equity in Africa" summit, and this may also be a part of Kagame's bid to join the Commonwealth.

The London Guardian reported on the CHRI's human rights objections in Rwanda's Commonwealth hopes dented by human rights criticism.

And, the African Pambazuka News ran Rwanda's Commonwealth Application on 09.24.2009.