THE BBC said it had "a duty" to broadcast a documentary about the Rwandan genocide which has sparked complaints from the African country's government.
Rwanda's Untold Story, which went out on BBC2 on October 1, investigated allegations that current president Paul Kagame was involved in shooting down a plane carrying one of his predecessors, an event which sparked the 1994 conflict that cost thousands of lives.
The country's minister of foreign affairs Louise Mushikiwabo described the documentary as an "attack on Rwanda and its people" and said her government was contemplating taking action against the BBC.
She said: "My government reserves the right to respond, on its own timing, in a manner commensurate with the weight of the offence."
Earlier this week the Rwandan parliament demanded an apology from the corporation and passed a resolution to ban the BBC.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "The BBC has a duty to investigate challenging subjects.
"I believe this programme made a contribution to the understanding of the tragic history of this country."
She said the BBC regretted calls for sanctions against it and criticised the "threat of direct measures against an independent broadcaster" which she described as "inappropriate".
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