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Charles Onana

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Charles Auguste Onana
Charles Onana wearing black pants and a pink-and-white checkered shirt, sitting in a chair with bookcases in the background, appearing to speak and gesticulate while looking at camera
Onana in 2018
Born (1964-02-18) 18 February 1964 (age 60)
Alma materSorbonne University
Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 (Ph.D., 2017)
Occupations
Criminal chargesGenocide denial

Charles Auguste Onana (born 18 February 1964)[1] is a French-Cameroonian political scientist, investigative journalist, essayist, and publisher. In December 2024, he was convicted of genocide denial.

Education

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A graduate of Sorbonne University,[2] Onana obtained a Ph.D. in political science in 2017 from Jean Moulin University Lyon 3, with a doctoral thesis entitled Rwanda : l'opération Turquoise et la controverse médiatique (1994–2014) (trans: "Rwanda: Opération Turquoise and the Media Controversy (1994–2014).[3]

Rwandan genocide

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Since 2002, Onana has published several books about the African Great Lakes region and the tragedies that have affected the four nations that border it: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda, with particular emphasis on the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Onana has questioned the use of the term "genocide" in reference to the events that took place in Rwanda, and he has accused Paul Kagame of orchestrating the massacre of Tutsis and Hutus as well as the 6 April 1994 downing of the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira,[4] a theory he details in his 2002 book Les Secrets du génocide rwandais : enquête sur les mystères d'un président (trans: "secrets of the Rwandan genocide: investigating the mysteries of a president").[5] According to political scientist René Lemarchand, the book reveals few secrets and contains many biases.[6]

In 2004, journalist Christophe Ayad published an article in the French daily Libération, in which he called Onana and the French-Canadian journalist Robin Philpot, who were invited to participate in an international conference on Rwanda at Sorbonne University, "denialists". The authors subsequently filed a defamation suit against Libération.[7]

In 2005, Onana led a conference entitled "Silence on an attack: the scandal of the Rwandan genocide". He proceeded to investigate the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and published a book on the topic the same year, containing information he supposedly obtained from the international jurist Carla Del Ponte.[8][9]

Onana's 2009 essay "Ces tueurs tutsi au cœur de la tragédie congolaise" (trans. "These Tutsi killers at the heart of the Congolese tragedy") was cited by French historian of genocide Hélène Dumas in an article in which she notes Onana's racist accusations about Tutsi women[10] and his validation of a supposed "plan for the conquest of the Great Lakes of Africa", a false narrative circulating since 1962.[11]

In 2019, Onana published the book Rwanda, la vérité sur l'opération Turquoise (trans. "Rwanda, the truth about Operation Turquoise), in which he declared that "the conspiracy theory of a Hutu regime planning a 'genocide' in Rwanda constitutes one of the biggest scams of the 20th century".[12] In an article for the Fondation Jean-Jaurès think tank, academic Serge Dupuis calls the book an "investigation conducted exclusively to exonerate", very poorly supported by sources, and whose objective is "the pillorying of the RPF" (Rwandan Patriotic Front).[13]

At an international conference held at the French Senate on 9 March 2020 on "60 years of instability in the Great Lakes region of Africa", Onana denounced the French-led 1994 Opération Turquoise and called out the crimes committed by the RPF during and after the genocide, as well as the inertia of the United Nations following the RPF's refusal of any humanitarian intervention in Rwanda.[14][15]

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In 2019, the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism filed a complaint against Onana for contesting crimes against humanity during a television interview about his book Rwanda, la vérité sur l'opération Turquoise.[14][15]

Onana was indicted in January 2022, following a complaint filed in 2020 by the non-governmental organizations Survie, International Federation for Human Rights, and Human Rights League for breach of freedom of expression in his denial of crimes against humanity in the book.[16] He was put on trial in October 2024.[17]

The rationale for the trial has been contested by two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Denis Mukwege[18] and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel.[19]

On 4 October 2024, Onana filed a complaint against the current Rwandan head of state, Paul Kagame, with the Paris public prosecutor, following "public threats" made against him.[20]

On 9 December 2024, Onana and his publishing director, Damien Serieyx, were found guilty by a Paris court of denying and downplaying the Rwandan genocide.[21][22]

Other activities

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Onana is the manager of Éditions Duboiris, the publishing house that has issued most of his books.[23]

He has written on the role and actions of African soldiers during the Second World War,[24][25] on René Maran,[26] on Josephine Baker and her involvement in counter-espionage on behalf of Charles de Gaulle from 1940,[27] on the involvement of the charitable organization Zoé's Ark in the 2007 kidnapping of 103 minors in Chad (co-written with the Chadian politician Ngarlejy Yorongar),[28] on the downfall of the former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo,[29] on the diplomatic relations between France, Israel, and the PLO during the tenure of former French president François Mitterrand,[30] and on Jean-Bédel Bokassa.[citation needed]

None of his books have been translated into English.[31]

Recognition

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In 2018, Onana was awarded the Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza Democracy and Peace Prize (together with Canadian radio broadcaster Phil Taylor) by the International Women's Network for Democracy and Peace in Belgium for his work on "the reconciliation of people through dialogue, respect for the human person, and social justice in the African Great Lakes region".[31]

Publications

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  • Bokassa : ascension et chute d'un empereur (1921–1996) : une enquête qui dévoile la face cachée du pouvoir sous Giscard et Mitterrand, Éditions Duboiris (1998) ISBN 978-2-9513159-0-7
  • Les Secrets du génocide rwandais : enquête sur les mystères d'un président with Déo Mushayidi, Duboiris (2002)[5]
  • Enquêtes interdites, Duboiris, 2002
  • La France et ses tirailleurs. Enquête sur les combattants de la République, Duboiris (2003) ISBN 978-2951315945
  • Les secrets de la justice internationale : enquêtes truquées sur le génocide rwandais foreword by Pierre Péan, Duboiris (2005) ISBN 978-2951315983
  • Silence sur un attentat, Duboiris (2005)
  • L'Édition menacée : livre blanc sur l'édition indépendante (foreword by Gilles Perrault), Duboiris (2006) ISBN 978-2952231565
  • Pourquoi la France brûle, la racaille parle, Duboiris (2006) ISBN 978-2952231541
  • Joséphine Baker contre Hitler : la star noire de la France, Duboiris (2006) ISBN 978-2952231572
  • Noirs Blancs Beurs 1940–1945 : libérateurs de la France (foreword by Richard Bohringer), Duboiris (2006) ISBN 978-2952231510
  • Une vie de Lion (with Roger Milla, foreword by Pelé, afterword by Sepp Blatter), Duboiris (2006) ISBN 978-2952231534
  • Un racisme français : le communautarisme blanc menace la République (with Frédérique Mouzer and Kofi Yamgnane), Duboiris (2007) ISBN 978-2916872001
  • René Maran : le premier Goncourt noir 1887–1960, Duboiris (2007) ISBN 978-2916872018
  • Les voyous de l'arche de Zoé : enquête sur un kidnapping d'enfants, Duboiris (2008) ISBN 978-2916872070
  • Ces tueurs tutsi au cœur de la tragédie congolaise (foreword by Cynthia McKinney), Duboiris (2009)
  • Al-Bashir & Darfour : la contre-enquête, Duboiris (2010) ISBN 978-2916872117
  • Côte d'Ivoire : le coup d'État (foreword by Thabo Mbeki), Duboiris (2011) ISBN 978-2916872179
  • Europe, Crimes et Censure au Congo, Duboiris (2012)[32]
  • France–Côte d'Ivoire : la rupture, Duboiris (2013) ISBN 978-2916872223
  • La France dans la terreur rwandaise, Duboiris (2014) ISBN 978-2916872216
  • Palestine, le malaise français, Duboiris (2015) ISBN 978-2916872261
  • Pourquoi combattre ? (contributor; edited by Pierre-Yves Rougeyron),[33] Éditions Perspectives Libres (2018) ISBN 979-1090742-482
  • Rwanda, la vérité sur l'opération Turquoise, L'Artilleur (2019) ISBN 978-2810009176[34]
  • Bokassa : vie et dernières confidences, Duboiris (2020)
  • Enquêtes sur un attentat – Rwanda 6 avril 1994 (foreword by Adolfo Pérez Esquivel), L'Artilleur (2021) ISBN 978-2810010165
  • Holocauste au Congo : l'omerta de la communauté internationale (foreword by Charles Millon), L'Artilleur (2023) ISBN 978-2810011452

References

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  1. ^ "Notice de personne" [Personal information]. catalogue.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Charles Onana : "La guerre au Congo, c'est une guerre sans images"" [Charles Onana: "The war in Congo is a war without images"]. sudradio.fr (in French). 7 June 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  3. ^ "ONANA Auguste Charles". univ-lyon3.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Ainsi va l'Afrique" [This is how Africa goes] (in French). 11 December 2005. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Les Secrets du génocide rwandais : enquête sur les mystères d'un président" [Secrets of the Rwandan Genocide: Investigating the Mysteries of a President]. monde-diplomatique.fr (in French). October 2002. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Rwanda : état des recherches" [Rwanda: state of research]. sciencespo.fr (in French). 19 November 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Le journaliste Charles Onana attaque le quotidien "Libération"" [Journalist Charles Onana attacks the daily newspaper "Libération"]. grioo.com (in French). 18 February 2005. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Rwanda: Charles Onana – Auteur du livre « Les secrets de la justice internationale »" [Rwanda: Charles Onana – Author of the book "The secrets of international justice".]. allafrica.com (in French). 3 March 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  9. ^ Les secrets de la justice internationale : Enquetes truquées sur le génocide rwandais. ASIN 2951315988.
  10. ^ "Épisode 3/4 : Les intellectuels du négationnisme" [Episode 3/4: The intellectuals of denialism]. radiofrance.fr (in French). 8 April 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  11. ^ Dumas, Hélène (2010). "Banalisation, révision et négation : la « réécriture » de l'histoire du génocide des Tutsi". Esprit. May (5): 85–102. doi:10.3917/espri.1005.0085. Retrieved 1 October 2024. L'inexorable enchaînement» de l'histoire s'appuie également sur une explication cachée, secrète, cryptique. La théorie du complot tutsi mondial n'est pas nouvelle. On en trouve des récurrences dans la propagande extrémiste. Mais là encore, la vulgate raciste n'a rien perdu de sa vigueur. Ainsi, en 2009, Charles Onana rend compte de la guerre au Congo en exhibant un « Plan de conquête de l'Afrique des Grands lacs ». Les menées conquérantes des Tutsi ne datent pas d'hier puisque le fameux plan aurait été défini en 1962 à Nyamitaba au Zaïre. C'est le journal Kangura qui nous offre la meilleure mise en contexte de ce « document ». Il vise à réveiller la vigilance des Bahutu en leur montrant la ruse et la perfidie caractéristiques des Batutsi qui, nantis de leurs femmes et de leur argent, travaillent à imposer leur suprématie sur l'Afrique des Grands lacs. (Trans.: The "inexorable chain" of history also relies on a hidden, secret, cryptic explanation. The theory of the global Tutsi conspiracy is not new. It is found in extremist propaganda. But here again, the racist vulgate has lost none of its vigor. Thus, in 2009, Charles Onana reported on the war in Congo by exhibiting a "Plan for the conquest of the Great Lakes of Africa". The Tutsi's conquests are not new since the famous plan was supposedly defined in 1962 in Nyamitaba in Zaire. It is the newspaper Kangura that offers us the best contextualization of this "document". It aims to awaken the vigilance of the Hutu by showing them the cunning and perfidy characteristic of the Tutsi who, equipped with their women and their money, work to impose their supremacy on the African Great Lakes.
  12. ^ "Un étrange et problématique colloque sur l'Afrique des Grands Lacs au Sénat" [A strange and problematic symposium on the Great Lakes of Africa in the Senate]. la-croix.com (in French). 8 March 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Charles Onana et la vérité sur l'opération Turquoise : lecture critique" [Charles Onana and the truth about Operation Turquoise: a critical reading]. jean-jaures.org (in French). 31 August 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Au Sénat, un colloque sur le génocide des Tutsi provoque la colère de la communauté rwandaise" [In the Senate, a conference on the Tutsi genocide provokes the anger of the Rwandan community]. lemonde.fr (in French). 10 March 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Génocide au Rwanda : la présence de "négationnistes" au Sénat français fait polémique" [Genocide in Rwanda: the presence of "denialists" in the French Senate causes controversy]. france24.com (in French). 9 March 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Charles Onana mis en examen" [Charles Onana indicted]. survie.org (in French). 2 April 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Génocide des Tutsis au Rwanda : à son procès, Charles Onana accusé de «dépasser les limites de la liberté d'expression»" [Genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda: at his trial, Charles Onana accused of "exceeding the limits of freedom of expression"]. rfi.fr (in French). 17 May 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Le procès Onana fait la honte de la France (Mukwege)" [The Onana trial brings shame to France (Mukwege)]. ouragan.cd (in French). 9 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  19. ^ "After Denis Mukwege, Argentine Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel supports Charles Onana". econewsrdc.com. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  20. ^ "France : une plainte déposée à Paris contre Kagame pour menace de mort contre l'écrivain Charles Onana" [France: Complaint filed in Paris against Kagame for death threats against writer Charles Onana]. mediacongo.net (in French). 7 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Génocide des Tutsi au Rwanda : Charles Onana reconnu coupable de complicité de contestation de crime contre l'humanité" (in French). 9 December 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  22. ^ Sabiiti, Daniel (9 December 2024). "French Court Convicts and Fines Charles Onana for Genocide Denial". KT PRESS. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  23. ^ Chrétien, Jean-Pierre (2005). "Dix ans après le génocide des Tutsis au Rwanda". Le Temps des médias. 5 (2): 59. doi:10.3917/tdm.005.0059. Retrieved 15 October 2024. Jean-Pierre Chrétien indique en 2005 que "Les « éditions Duboiris » où Charles Onana a publié ses ouvrages et ceux des auteurs qui lui sont proches sur le Rwanda et le Congo, sont en fait une SARL monopersonnelle de M. Onana lui-même" et mentionne "Le caractère plutôt confidentiel de cette maison, non répertoriée dans les listings professionnels habituels, ni même dans l'annuaire" (Trans.: "Jean-Pierre Chrétien indicated in 2005 that "Éditions Duboiris", where Charles Onana published his works and those of authors close to him on Rwanda and the Congo, are in fact a single-person Private limited company of Mr. Onana himself" and mentioned "The rather confidential nature of this house, not listed in the usual professional listings, nor even in the directory"
  24. ^ "Charles Onana commente son livre sur les "tirailleurs sénégalais"" [Charles Onana comments on his book on the "Senegalese riflemen"]. grioo.com (in French). 3 January 2004. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  25. ^ Charles Onana, La France et ses tirailleurs. Enquête sur les combattants de la République, Paris, Éditions Duboiris, 2003; and Noirs Blancs Beurs Libérateurs de la France. Les visages de la France Libre, foreword by Richard Bohringer, Paris, Éditions Duboiris, 2005
  26. ^ René Maran – le premier Goncourt noir (1887–1960) [René Maran – The first black Goncourt (1887–1960)] (in French). ASIN 2916872019.
  27. ^ "C'était Joséphine Baker" [It was Josephine Baker]. jeuneafrique.com (in French). 29 May 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  28. ^ Les voyous de l'Arche de Zoé – enquêtes sur un kidnapping d'enfants [The Thugs of Zoe's Ark – Investigations into a Child Kidnapping] (in French). ASIN 2916872078.
  29. ^ Côte d'Ivoire, le coup d'État [Ivory Coast, the coup d'état] (in French). ASIN 2916872175.
  30. ^ Palestine, le malaise français [Palestine, the French malaise] (in French). ASIN 2916872264.
  31. ^ a b "Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza Democracy and Peace Prize Awarded to Charles Onana and Phil Taylor". blackagendareport.com. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Charles Onana: « L'Union européenne censure l'implication du Rwanda dans la crise congolaise »" [Charles Onana: "The European Union censors Rwanda's involvement in the Congolese crisis"]. jambonews.net (in French). 5 December 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  33. ^ "Pourquoi Combattre ? Sous la direction de Pierre-Yves Rougeyron" [Why Fight? Edited by Pierre-Yves Rougeyron]. cerclearistote.fr (in French). Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Rétablir la vérité sur l'Opération Turquoise" [Restoring the truth about Operation Turquoise]. causeur.fr (in French). 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
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