Facing probable charges, Erlinder unsure of return to Rwanda
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The St. Paul attorney who was arrested in Rwanda for defending a critic of the government there says he hasn't decided whether to go back.
Peter Erlinder, a professor at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, was released in June. He'd been in Kigale to represent a leader of the opposition to the government of president Paul Kagame when he was taken into custody in May for allegedly denying the 1994 genocide that killed hundreds of thousands of Rwandans.
The Rwandan government is now considering formal charges against Erlinder. He spoke at William Mitchell Friday, saying he's talking with is own attorney about the situation.
"I think that the situation since I was released has changed markedly," Erlinder said. "We have the U.N. documenting that this is a criminal government, and I'm sure my lawyer will be taking that into account."
Erlinder later said he feared he'd be subject to summary execution if he returned to Rwanda.
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