Benjamin Gilman: “On April 6, 1994, a massive genocide began in Rwanda. There was no mention of Rwanda in any of our papers on that day…”

“On April 6, 1994, a massive genocide began in Rwanda. There was no mention of Rwanda in any of our papers on that day, but soon horrific accounts of a bloody and well-planned massacre filled the pages of our newspapers. A month later, 200,000 were dead and more were being killed each and every day, but White House spokesmen still quibbled with reporters about the definition of genocide. Too many of the masterminds of that ugly chapter in human history are still at large. An international criminal tribunal for Rwanda exists, but it has failed to bring to justice all of the leaders. Rwanda needs reconciliation, but without accountability there will be no reconciliation. Congress extended the rewards program to those providing information leading to the indictment of Yugoslavian war criminals 2 years ago. It is now time to place a generous bounty in U.S. dollars on the heads of all who seek power through extermination. The killers have fled to Paris, to Brussels, to Kinshasa and elsewhere. With the passage of this measure, their havens will be less safe and their sleep will be less easy. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to fully support this measure.”