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KIGALI. — At least 69 Rwandans were arrested over alleged genocide ideology crimes during the mourning week of the 25th commemoration of the 1994 Rwandan genocide against Tutsi that closed on Saturday, Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) said Monday.

Seventy-two cases of genocide ideology were reported countrywide during the mourning week with some suspects still at large, RIB spokesperson Modeste Mbabazi said on Rwanda national television RTV.

Most of the cases recorded were verbal insults directed at genocide survivors while others involved hacking livestock and destroying crops belonging to survivors, Mbabazi said. Eastern Rwanda was the most serious area with 27 cases, followed by southern Rwanda with 25 cases, while 10 were recorded in the capital city of Kigali, he said.

He however said cases of genocide ideology were on a downward trend compared to previous years as 72 and 114 cases were reported in 2018 and 2017 respectively.

Genocide ideology under Rwandan laws can be manifested by conduct, verbal utterances, and documents with intention of exterminating or inciting others to exterminate people based on their ethnic group, origin, nationality, region, or by creating confusion aimed at negating the genocide, altering evidence of past genocide and killing among other ways.

Genocide ideology in Rwanda attracts three to seven years imprisonment and a fine between 500,000 Rwandan francs (about US$560) to 1 million Rwandan francs. – Xinhua