Under the second Article of the universal declaration of human rights “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” (The Universal Declarations of Human Rights, 2015) However this very basic human right was violated in the country of Rwanda in 1994. During this time it is estimated nearly 800 000 people of the Tutsi minority were murdered simply for their ethnicity (“Rwanda genocide”, 2014).
In 1994 the country of Rwanda was mainly composed of three ethnic groups. The Hutus that made up approximately 85% of the population, the Tutsi who made up 14% and the Twas, which were a mere1% of the population (“Genocide in Rwanda”, 2015). The Hutu extremists blamed the entire Tutsi minority population for the country’s increasing social, economic, and political problemss. Moreover the Tutsi civilians were targeted because many Hutus felt they supported a Tutsi-dominated rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).
In August 1993, Habyarimana the president of Rwanda signed a power-sharing agreement with the Tutsis that angered the Hutu extremists (“Rwanda genocide”, 2014). On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying President Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down. Though the culprits have not been determined, the Hutus blamed the Tutsi and violence and riots quickly became widespread in the county. Violence began almost immediately after that. Hutu extremists who felt the Tutsi were responsible for the attack, launched their plans to destroy the Tutsi civilian population. Over the next three months it is estimated some 800 000 Tutsi were murdered ruthlessly. (“Rwanda genocide”, 2014). The media in Rwanda played a vital role in the ethnically motivated violence against the Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Local officials and radio stations promoted hatred and murder of Tutsi civilians and Tutsi sympathizers (“The Rwandan Genocide,” 2009). Hate propaganda by government sponsored radio stations was common. These station urged people to "weed out the cockroaches" which meant to kill the Tutsis (“The Rwandan Genocide,” 2009). Occasionally, he names of those to be killed were read out on radio. It is reported lists of government opponents were handed out and militias went and killed them. Violence was widespread. Neighbours killed neighbours and some husbands even killed their Tutsi wives. The most common tool used to slaughter Tutsis was machetes, which most Rwandans keep in their homes (“The Rwandan Genocide,” 2009). The atrocities against include kidnapping thousands of Tutsi women and keeping them as sex slaves
The atrocities go Rwanda have been illustrated in the Oscar winning movie "Hotel Rwanda". "During the 1990s, some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages." ("Hotel Rwanda" 2004)
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