An inquiry in Rwanda has recommended
that the government initiate criminal and civil proceedings against the
BBC over a documentary which questioned official accounts of the 1994
genocide.
Inquiry head Martin Ngoga found that the documentary failed to meet the BBC's own editorial standards.
The BBC says it is extremely disappointed by the findings.
Rwanda suspended broadcasts by the BBC's Kinyarwanda language service after the TV documentary was aired.
At least 800,000 people died in the genocide over a 100-day period.
Those killed are generally believed to be mostly members of the
minority ethnic Tutsi group, and Hutus opposed to the mass slaughter.
The
BBC programme Rwanda, The Untold Story, included interviews with
US-based researchers who say most of those killed may have been Hutus,
killed by members of the then-rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which
has been in power since 1994.
The programme also included
interviews with former aides of RPF leader President Paul Kagame,
accusing him of plotting to shoot down the presidential plane - the act
seen as triggering the slaughter.
He has strenuously denied previous such accusations.
Critics in Rwanda say that the documentary was an attempt to revise
the history and facts of the genocide, and disrespected the memory of
those who had died.
The BBC has consistently denied that any part
of the programme constitutes a "denial of the genocide against the
Tutsi". It has said that it will look closely at the implications of the
inquiry recommendations.
Rwandan genocide:
6 April 1994: President Juvenal
Habyarimana is killed when his plane was shot down on returning from
peace talks with Tutsi RPF rebels
7 April: It is not clear who is behind
the shooting but it sparks the systematic mass killing of mainly Tutsis
by extremist Hutu militia and military elements
April-July: An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus are slaughtered
RPF denies accusations they killed thousands of Hutus as they marched through the country
July: RPF captures the capital, Kigali
July: Two million Hutus flee to Zaire, now DR Congo
A parliamentary resolution in October said the programme's producer
and presenter, as well as those interviewed for the documentary, should
be charged with genocide denial - a punishable crime in Rwanda.
The
BBC argued around the same time that it had a duty to investigate
difficult and challenging subjects and believed the programme was a
valuable contribution to the understanding of the tragic history of the
country and the region.
The BBC also said several attempts to get
the Rwandan government to respond to the allegations for the programme
had not been taken up.
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