Rwanda suspects seek asylum

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | January 22, 2007 | Jim McElhatton

[3AngelaD]

Three Rwanda citizens who faced death sentences in the 1999 kidnapping and slaughter of two Americans in Uganda are seeking political asylum now that U.S. authorities have moved to drop the charges. Francois Karake, Leonidas Bimenyimana and Gregoire Nyaminani, reputed members of the Liberation Army of Rwanda who have been detained in the D.C. Jail for nearly four years, were charged in the bludgeoning deaths of Robert Haubner and his wife, Susan Miller, of Portland, Ore. The couple... were killed with six other tourists when men with guns, axes and machetes ... The men were brought to the U.S. to face trial in 2003. However, prosecutors earlier this month filed a motion to drop felony murder charges after a federal judge last year threw out the defendants' confessions, citing evidence that the men were tortured while imprisoned by Rwandan officials... Defense attorneys disclosed the applications for asylum last week... "This will assure that once charges are dismissed, the defendants will not be at risk for being taken from the country without the opportunity to address their fear of persecution, which would await them when they return..." It is not clear whether the three men, whom authorities have called terrorists, could live in the United States...But efforts to deport them would be complicated if the men have completed applications seeking political asylum, said a specialist on the issue. With a completed application, "no action can be taken to deport you" until authorities decide whether to grant asylum,.. Last year, Mr. Haubner's sister, Deanne Haubner, told the Oregonian newspaper that the confessions should have been admitted as evidence even if the defendants were tortured because "so were Rob and Susan and all the people they killed." "So I'm afraid I don't feel sorry for them if they were tortured," she said.

[3AngelaD]

Just what we need. Again, U.S. law is being used to benefit murderous aliens, and the American people are left holding the bag. Once asylum is granted, they qualify for every welfare and entitlement program on offer. Who in their right mind would want these men living in their community? The judge, perhaps?

[marron]

They should fast-track their request for asylum, like by the end of the week so they can be on the plane Saturday.

Asking for asylum, because they might face problems back home in Rwanda, is like the Menendez brothers asking leniency because they are, after all, orphans.

[3AngelaD]

Yes, I have filed this under "Unmitigated Gall" and can't believe that the relatives of those murdered people have to put up with this BS. If we can't prosecute them, we sure as hell ought to be able to dropkick them out of our country so fast their eyes water.

[ReignOfError]

How much evidence exists apart from the confessions? It wouldn't be all that difficult for me to believe that the Rwandan authorities rounded up three of their "usual suspects," beat false confessions out of them, and then handed them over to the US to gain political points with the US government.

I don't think it's unreasonable to have a hearing to determine if that's what happened before handing them back to that same government. If there's other evidence of their guilt -- even if it's not enough to sustain a murder conviction -- or if there's no evidence they were railroaded, then they should be shipped back to Rwanda or whatever third country volunteers to take them.