Minn. law professor held in Rwanda says he believes officials there wanted him to disappear

Professor: Rwanda officials wanted me to disappear

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota law professor says he believes Rwandan authorities intended to make him disappear.

Peter Erlinder says no one would have learned of his fate if he hadn’t been able to summon a U.S. embassy official to his hotel when he was arrested on May 28. Erlinder got into trouble in Rwanda because he disputes the official version of what happened during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

He says reconciliation is possible in Rwanda but will require acknowledgment that crimes were committed by both major ethnic groups.

Erlinder is a professor at the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul where he spoke Wednesday to reporters, supporters, staff and students. He arrived back in Minnesota on Tuesday after about three weeks in Rwandan custody.