Intent to Deceive

The 1994 genocide of the Tutsi, an attempt to exterminate a minority people, was unprecedented in speed and scale, comparable to the genocide of the Armenians by Turkey and the Nazi Holocaust. But the violence continues today, as supporters of the racist ideology of Hutu Power continue to undermine the established version of events through systematic denial, propaganda, and fake news. This campaign seeks to minimise what occurred and blame the victims for their fate. The genocide denial continues to spread and is promoted by media, academics, lawyers, and politicians.

In this searing account of the aftermath of the genocide, investigative journalist Linda Melvern exposes systematic attempts to falsify the historical record. This includes a campaign by French military officers, implicated in events, to lay the blame on volunteer peacekeepers in the UN military operation. It includes the true story behind the owner of Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina, and his links with the killers. It reveals the number of génocidaires at large, and the priest killers protected by the Vatican. The excessive secrecy and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts by Western governments serve Hutu Power in its campaign of new spin.

Intent to Deceive is a chilling, thoroughly investigated exposé of how politicians continue to use the crime for their own ends, long after the killing has ceased.