[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 6, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S3796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 322--OBSERVING THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RWANDAN 
                            GENOCIDE OF 1994

  Mr. FEINGOLD submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 332

       Whereas 10 years ago, during a 3-month period in 1994, 
     800,000 Rwandans were killed in an organized campaign of 
     genocide that targeted ethnic Tutsis and political moderates;
       Whereas the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda 
     was dramatically scaled back as the genocide occurred;
       Whereas by mid-July 2004, 2,000,000 Rwandans became 
     refugees and another 1,000,000 were internally displaced due 
     to the genocide and civil war;
       Whereas in 1994, the United Nations Security Council 
     established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to 
     hold accountable those responsible for the atrocities;
       Whereas in March 1998, President William Jefferson Clinton 
     acknowledged that ``we in the United States and the world 
     community did not do as much as we could have and should have 
     done to try to limit what occurred in Rwanda in 1994'';
       Whereas in 1999, the Independent Inquiry into the Actions 
     of the United Nations during the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda 
     found that ``the failure by the United Nations to prevent, 
     and subsequently, to stop the genocide in Rwanda was a 
     failure by the United Nations system as a whole'';
       Whereas the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath played a 
     significant part in the destabilization of the entire Great 
     Lakes region over the last decade; and
       Whereas today, the vast majority of Rwandan refugees have 
     returned to their country, and the Government of Rwanda is 
     working to address the backlog of genocide-related cases 
     awaiting trial through the formal justice sector and through 
     community-based gacaca courts: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) solemnly observes the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan 
     genocide of 1994;
       (2) recognizes and is saddened by the failure of the 
     international community, including the United States, to 
     prevent the genocide;
       (3) reaffirms its commitment to the Convention on the 
     Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, done at 
     Paris on December 9, 1948;
       (4) supports ongoing efforts to educate the people of the 
     United States and of the world about the Rwandan genocide;
       (5) commits to continuing efforts to strengthen 
     institutions working to bring to justice those responsible 
     for the genocide; and
       (6) urges the President and the international community to 
     seize on the occasion of this anniversary to focus attention 
     on the future of Rwanda, and to support the people of Rwanda 
     so that they may--
       (A) be free from the fear of ethnic violence, mob violence, 
     or state-sponsored violence;
       (B) enjoy full civil and political rights and feel free to 
     voice legitimate disagreements honestly and publicly without 
     fear of violence or intimidation;
       (C) have confidence in the independence of the judiciary 
     and the rule of law in Rwanda; and
       (D) experience sustained economic growth and development 
     that improves the standard of living in Rwanda.

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution 
commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Ten 
years ago, a deliberate, centrally-planned, and organized campaign of 
violence was set in motion, and eventually it took the lives of some 
800,000 Rwandans. The campaign targeted ethnic Tutsis, but also ethnic 
Hutus who espoused moderate political beliefs and paid for their 
commitment to equal rights for all Rwandans with their lives. Millions 
were displaced, and the institutions and infrastructure of the country 
were shattered.
  As this horror unfolded, the international community, including the 
United States, failed to act. The United Nations Mission for Rwanda was 
scaled down when the massacres started rather than being reinforced. 
The U.S. engaged in semantic strategies of avoidance, referring to 
massacres and atrocities and finally ``acts of genocide,'' but refusing 
to acknowledge the truth for fear it should make plain our 
responsibility.
  If some of the Rwandan voices that will be heard during this time of 
commemoration and reflection sound angry, well, we have to accept that 
their anger is justified. The world had said ``never again'' to 
genocide. And then we abandoned the people of Rwanda to an unspeakable 
national nightmare.
  Today, the people of Rwanda still struggle to cope with the legacy of 
the genocide, with the trauma of their national experience, and with 
the search for justice and accountability. And they still struggle with 
fear.
  The United States can and should insist that those who devised and 
implemented the plan for genocide be held accountable for their 
actions. Four years ago I was proud to introduce legislation that 
extended the Rewards for Justice program, so that today the U.S. is 
helping to track down those who have been indicted by the International 
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and are still at large. In addition, we 
can and do assist the Government of Rwanda in strengthening its own 
capacity to address the backlog of genocide-related cases awaiting 
trial, sometimes through the formal justice system, and sometimes 
through the community-based gacaca courts.
  But today I want to urge my colleagues to seize on this moment not 
only to reflect on the past, not only to honor the dead, but to think 
about the future and to care for the living. And the people of Rwanda 
today do need assistance. Too many Rwandans live in a context of 
crushing poverty. Approximately 9 percent of the adult population is 
HIV positive, and life expectancy is about 40 years. There is much 
development work yet to be done.
  In Rwanda today, basic human rights are still not guaranteed. The 
most recent State Department human rights report on Rwanda makes 
reference to ``politically motivated disappearances; arbitrary arrest 
and detention, particularly of opposition supporters.''
  No one with even a cursory grasp of Rwanda's history could fault the 
government for being sensitive to ethnically divisive forces. But, not 
all dissent is divisive, and history teaches us that imposing order 
alone is not enough to guarantee stability and security. Order without 
justice tends to crumble. Suppressing legitimate disagreements, 
allowing intimidation to silence citizens--these acts undermine 
security rather than enhance it. The people of Rwanda, including the 
leadership of the country, find themselves in a tremendously difficult 
position. I can imagine, but I cannot know, the challenges of governing 
in the wake of a tragedy of this magnitude. But I do know that those of 
us in the international community only compound our past mistakes when 
we do not interest ourselves in the future of the Rwandan people today, 
when we do not concern ourselves with freeing the next generation from 
fear.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution of solemn 
commemoration. It acknowledges the terrible past, but it also expresses 
hope for the future. The people of Rwanda have picked themselves up and 
have set about rebuilding their lives and their country. The world 
failed them ten years ago. Let us resolve not to fail them again.

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