KIGALI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on Monday paid tribute to 10 Belgian peacekeepers killed at the start of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda at Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
"Even after all this time, their memory is still fresh in our minds and hearts," Michel said at an event that was also attended by Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente and other Rwandan and Belgian government officials.
Before the end of April, the Belgian parliament will come up with a proposal that will criminalize the denial of the genocide committed against the Tutsis in Rwanda, Michel said.
Denial and gross minimization of crimes against humanity committed in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide must be dealt with harshly, he said.
Ngirente, the Rwandan prime minister, said Belgium has always been on the side of Rwanda in this long road of reconstruction.
The Belgian peacekeepers, part of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, were killed on April 7, 1994, shortly after the start of the genocide.
They were deployed to guard then prime minister Agathe Uwilingimana, who was also killed on the same day.
The Rwandan government on Sunday morning started commemoration marking the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide against Tutsi, raising the curtain of a three-month remembrance period.
The genocide claimed the lives of over 1 million people, mainly ethnic Tutsis. The annual commemoration is held every year from April 7 to July 4 in line with the period of the genocide.
