Linda Melvern
Encyclopedia
Linda Melvern is a British
investigative journalist
. For several years she worked for The Sunday Times
(UK), including on the investigative Insight Team. Since leaving the newspaper she has written six books of non-fiction and is widely published in the British press and academic journals. An Honorary Professor of the University of Wales
, Aberystwyth
, in the Department of International Politics, Melvern is a world expert on the United Nations
. For the past eleven years she has concentrated on the circumstances of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda
. She is the second vice-President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Melvern was a consultant to the Military One prosecution team at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
(ICTR), and a part of her archive of documents on the planning and preparation of the genocide form a substantial part of the documentary evidence used by the prosecution in this trial.
A first account of the circumstances of the genocide and the role of the decision making in the Security Council was published by Linda Melvern in The Scotsman
(“Death by Diplomacy”, January 1995), and this included the story of the abandonment of the volunteer UN peacekeepers under their Force Commander, Lt. Gen Romeo Dallaire. Linda Melvern’s book on the genocide, A People Betrayed. The Role of the West in Rwanda’s Genocide, (Zed Books, 2000) is in its fifth impression and is used today as source material by students in universities world-wide. A People Betrayed was published in Sweden
: “Att Förråda Ett Folk. Västmakterna Och Folkmordet I Rwanda”, (Ordfront 2003)
In April 2004 Linda Melvern published her second book about the genocide, “Conspiracy to Murder. The Rwandan Genocide”. (Verso), a detailed account of its planning, who was responsible, and how it progressed. Melvern has published numerous articles, essays and papers related to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. She has visited a wide variety of institutions in the UK and abroad in order to give presentations on the subject. These include at the Centre for Social Theory and Comparative History, UCLA; The Press Union, Athens
; the Holocaust Memorial Museum
, Washington, D.C.
; Life After Death Conference, Kigali
, 2001; the Genocide Prevention Conference, FCO and Aegis, Nottinghamshire
, 2002; Dartmouth College
, Hanover, New Hampshire; and the University of Mary Washington
, Virginia. For the tenth commemoration of the genocide Melvern presented a paper at a conference at the Imperial War Museum, London, and was a panellist at the tenth commemorative conference in Kigali, Rwanda.
Other books include United Nations, a book for children (Franklin Watts World Organisations Series, 2001); "Techno-Bandits" (co-authored; Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1983), an account of the campaign by the US Department of Defense to stop the illicit Soviet efforts to acquire American technology; and "The End of the Street", published in London, in 1986 (Methuen), exposing the secret planning by Rupert Murdoch to destroy the British print unions and move his newspapers to a modern printing plant at Wapping. "The Ultimate Crime" (Allison and Busby, 1995) was a secret history of the UN’s first fifty years and was the basis of a TV series for Channel Four, the three-part "UN Blues" broadcast in January 1995.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
investigative journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. For several years she worked for The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
(UK), including on the investigative Insight Team. Since leaving the newspaper she has written six books of non-fiction and is widely published in the British press and academic journals. An Honorary Professor of the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, in the Department of International Politics, Melvern is a world expert on the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. For the past eleven years she has concentrated on the circumstances of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. She is the second vice-President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Melvern was a consultant to the Military One prosecution team at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
(ICTR), and a part of her archive of documents on the planning and preparation of the genocide form a substantial part of the documentary evidence used by the prosecution in this trial.
A first account of the circumstances of the genocide and the role of the decision making in the Security Council was published by Linda Melvern in The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
(“Death by Diplomacy”, January 1995), and this included the story of the abandonment of the volunteer UN peacekeepers under their Force Commander, Lt. Gen Romeo Dallaire. Linda Melvern’s book on the genocide, A People Betrayed. The Role of the West in Rwanda’s Genocide, (Zed Books, 2000) is in its fifth impression and is used today as source material by students in universities world-wide. A People Betrayed was published in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
: “Att Förråda Ett Folk. Västmakterna Och Folkmordet I Rwanda”, (Ordfront 2003)
In April 2004 Linda Melvern published her second book about the genocide, “Conspiracy to Murder. The Rwandan Genocide”. (Verso), a detailed account of its planning, who was responsible, and how it progressed. Melvern has published numerous articles, essays and papers related to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. She has visited a wide variety of institutions in the UK and abroad in order to give presentations on the subject. These include at the Centre for Social Theory and Comparative History, UCLA; The Press Union, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
; the Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; Life After Death Conference, Kigali
Kigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
, 2001; the Genocide Prevention Conference, FCO and Aegis, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, 2002; Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Hanover, New Hampshire; and the University of Mary Washington
University of Mary Washington
The University of Mary Washington is a public, coeducational liberal arts college located in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA. Founded in 1908 by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a normal school, during much of the twentieth century it was part of the University of Virginia, until...
, Virginia. For the tenth commemoration of the genocide Melvern presented a paper at a conference at the Imperial War Museum, London, and was a panellist at the tenth commemorative conference in Kigali, Rwanda.
Other books include United Nations, a book for children (Franklin Watts World Organisations Series, 2001); "Techno-Bandits" (co-authored; Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1983), an account of the campaign by the US Department of Defense to stop the illicit Soviet efforts to acquire American technology; and "The End of the Street", published in London, in 1986 (Methuen), exposing the secret planning by Rupert Murdoch to destroy the British print unions and move his newspapers to a modern printing plant at Wapping. "The Ultimate Crime" (Allison and Busby, 1995) was a secret history of the UN’s first fifty years and was the basis of a TV series for Channel Four, the three-part "UN Blues" broadcast in January 1995.
External links
- Official site
- "Comment: The west did intervene in Rwanda, on the wrong side" by Melvern, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 5 April 2004