Fatshimetrie, Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege reacted strongly to the opening of the trial of political scientist and investigative journalist Charles Onana before the Paris Criminal Court. Mukwege firmly denounced the “politicization” of this case, seeing it as an injustice to those who seek to document and denounce war crimes and massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Charles Onana, a French-Cameroonian national, is being prosecuted alongside his publisher for “contesting the existence of a crime of genocide” in connection with the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, following comments made in his book “Rwanda, the truth about Operation Turquoise”, published in 2019. This case was brought before the courts following complaints from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Human Rights League (LDH) and the Survie association.
For Denis Mukwege, this trial represents an attack on those who seek to highlight the suffering of the Congolese people, recalling that this suffering is partially documented in the UN Mapping report, published 14 years ago, and recording crimes committed on the territory of the DRC. He added that prosecuting a man who denounces atrocities in the DRC, while those responsible for these crimes are welcomed in a privileged manner in Paris, is a shame for France, a country presenting itself as a defender of human rights.
At the opening of the trial, Charles Onana reaffirmed his commitment to the recognition of the suffering of the Congolese, declaring: “It is important that the Congolese people regain their dignity, their pride. We must recognize the victim status of the Congolese people. We cannot have 10 million dead and act as if it had no importance. For me, the Congolese victims exist. We must give them a face.”
The trial, which has generated a great deal of interest, continues with the hearing of witnesses at the Paris court. On the second day of the hearing, several members of the Congolese diaspora gathered in front of the court in solidarity with Charles Onana, author of books denouncing the violence perpetrated in eastern DRC. The courts will have to decide between the issues raised by the Charles Onana case, between freedom of expression and the recognition of the suffering of African peoples.