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STORY: UN / GENOCIDE AGAINST TUTSI RWANDA
TRT: 03:12
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 07 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN Headquarters
07 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Various shots, candle ceremony, General Assembly Hall
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, United Nations:
“The ancient toxins of racism, misogyny, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim bigotry are once again corroding our political discourse. We hear outright denial. We hear distortion. We even hear the glorification of past genocides. The genocide against the Tutsi shows us where this path can lead; when words are weaponized and the world waits too long to respond. We must do more than remember the dead. We must protect the living — by defending truth and rejecting narratives that make violence seem acceptable.”
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, United Nations:
“I call on all countries to become parties to the Genocide Convention without delay — and to implement it fully. The United Nations stands with the people of Rwanda. And we stand with all those, everywhere, who refuse to surrender their future to fear, division, or silence.”
6. Wide shot, General Assembly
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, General Assembly, United Nations:
“As we approach the 80th anniversary of the Genocide Convention, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: prevention is not passive. It requires action - early and decisive.”
8. Wide shot, Baerbock at podium, General Assembly
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Republic of Rwanda:
“It is our solemn duty to remember the victims, honor their resilience and ensure that their stories are forever into our collective memory. By doing so, we not only pay tribute to those who suffered, but also lay the foundation for preventing such atrocities in the future.”
10. Close up, candles, flowers
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Republic of Rwanda:
“It is equally troubling that some countries continue to provide a safe haven to genocide suspects. Rwanda's position is very clear: those responsible must be extradited to Rwanda or prosecuted wherever they are found. After all, we are told and informed by the Genocide Convention that genocide is a crime that transcends borders and justice must follow suit.”
12. Wide shot, Ugirashebuja at podium, General Assembly
UN Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, on behalf of the Secretary-General, called on all countries to become parties to the Genocide Convention “without delay — and to implement it fully.”
Addressing the General Assembly today (14 Jan) at the commemoration event of the thirty-second anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda Rattray said, “The ancient toxins of racism, misogyny, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim bigotry are once again corroding our political discourse. We hear outright denial. We hear distortion. We even hear the glorification of past genocides. The genocide against the Tutsi shows us where this path can lead; when words are weaponized and the world waits too long to respond. We must do more than remember the dead. We must protect the living — by defending truth and rejecting narratives that make violence seem acceptable.”
He also said, “The United Nations stands with the people of Rwanda. And we stand with all those, everywhere, who refuse to surrender their future to fear, division, or silence.”
The President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock said, “As we approach the 80th anniversary of the Genocide Convention, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: prevention is not passive. It requires action, early and decisive.”
Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Rwanda, said, “It is our solemn duty to remember the victims, honor their resilience and ensure that their stories are forever into our collective memory. By doing so, we not only pay tribute to those who suffered, but also lay the foundation for preventing such atrocities in the future.”
He also said, “It is equally troubling that some countries continue to provide a safe haven to genocide suspects. Rwanda's position is very clear: those responsible must be extradited to Rwanda or prosecuted wherever they are found. After all, we are told and informed by the Genocide Convention that genocide is a crime that transcends borders and justice must follow suit.”
