Rwanda's first post-genocide leader walked free from jail Friday after a surprise presidential pardon of convictions that included inciting ethnic tension. Pasteur Bizimungu was freed after serving two years of a 15-year jail term as an act of clemency by President Paul Kagame to build national unity, an official said. "It's a good gesture, it's done in good faith, it's done for the good," Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama told The Associated Press by telephone from the Rwandan capital, Kigali. About 9,000 people were released last year, he said. Karugarama said Bizimungu's release was the first full presidential pardon Kagame has given. He said he did not know Kagame's reasons for the pardon. "I should imagine that the president, in exercising his discretion, is part of the forgiving process," he said. "It's all part of a large, wide reconstruction and reconciliation." He added that he believed Bizimungu returned to his home in Kigali after his release. Bizimungu could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Jeanbosco Kazenge, said his client had gone home to be with his family. "He's fine, he's happy," he said by phone from Kigali.
