Murder Mystery: Why Rwandan Dissident was Killed in South Africa
Johannesburg 26 march 2014
A murdered former Rwandan intelligence chief was advising South African and Tanzanian intelligence as they prepared to send troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo to battle the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23, the BBC has learned. On New Year's Eve, Rwanda's former chief of external intelligence, Col Patrick Karegeya, went to his suite at the Michelangelo Towers - an expensive hotel in Johannesburg's business district -to meet an old informant.
South Africa expels Rwandan Diplomats
8 March 2014
South Africa has expelled three Rwandan diplomats in connection with an attack on the home of an exiled Rwandan dissident, diplomatic sources say. Rwanda responded by ordering out six South African envoys, officials said. The moves come after armed men raided the Johannesburg home of Kayumba Nyamwasa, a Rwandan former chief of staff, earlier this week.
Attacks and Threats Against Rwandan Opponents and Critics Abroad
28 January 2014
"The persistence of attacks on Rwandan government critics in exile, going back almost 20 years, is striking, with the latest such murder—that of Patrick Karegeya—taking place in January 2014. As critics or opponents of the government, the victims all share a certain profile. The victims of the attacks abroad have tended to be political opponents or outspoken critics of the Rwandan government or President Kagame himself", Human Rights Watch.
Karegeya 'murder': Mozambique holds Rwandan suspects
15 January 2014
Four Rwandans have been detained in Mozambique in connection with the apparent murder of Rwanda's ex-intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya, Mozambican police say. The police spokesman Joao Machava told the Associated Press news agency that one of those detained in Mozambique, which neighbours South Africa, was a senior official in the Rwandan army.
President Paul Kagame warns traitors
Kigali 12 January 2014
Rwanda President Paul Kagame has warned that those who betray the country will face "consequences". He was speaking less than two weeks after the body of former intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya was found, apparently murdered, in South Africa. Mr Karegeya had fallen out with the Rwandan leadership and set up an opposition party. "Anyone who betrays our cause or wishes our people ill will fall victim. What remains to be seen is how you fall victim," Mr Kagame said.
Colonel Patrick Karegeya' s Last Letter
8 January 2014
Rwanda is essentially a hard-line, one-party, secretive police state with a façade of democracy …” The ruling party, the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), has closed space for political participation. The RPF does not tolerate political opposition or open competition for power. President Kagame does not allow opposition parties to be registered, let alone operate freely.
Darling of the West, terror to his opponents: Meet Rwanda’s new scourge - Paul Kagame
4 January 2014
Rwandan ex-chief spy Patrick Karegeya was assasinated on 1 January 2014 in Johannesburg. Knowing the Rwandan president so well, Karegeya was under no illusions what might happen to him, especially after his friend Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa was shot in the stomach in South Africa in 2010. “The Rwandan government can no longer tolerate any dissent,” he said last year. “There is a deliberate plan to finish us off.”
Rwandan Leader Accused of Killing Ex-Spy Chief
Johannesburg 2 January 2014
The body of Rwanda's former spy chief, Colonel Patrick Karegeya was found, possibly strangled, in a hotel in South Africa, police said today. Rwandan dissidents accused President Paul Kagame of ordering his assassination. "He was found in the hotel room dead on the bed," said a statement from South African police spokeswoman Lt. Col. Katlego Mogale. "A towel with blood and a rope were found in the hotel room safe. There is a possibility that he might have been strangled."
Former Rwandan Chief Spy, Col Patrick Karegeya murdered
Johannesburg 1 January 2014
Exiled former Rwandan intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya has been apparently murdered in a Johannesburg hotel room, South African police say. Gen Nyamwasa told the BBC that Mr Karegeya had gone to the upmarket Michelangelo Towers hotel to meet "somebody he knew very well, somebody who had come from Kigali". He accused the Rwandan government of being behind the killing.
Revealed: Ingabire Letter To Chief Prosecutor
24 April 2012
"Whatever may happen, this struggle will not be forgotten in the revolution aimed at changing the country's governance that was launched in 2010. Shall I die or live, be detained or freed, what we have achieved will never go back. This movement is even stronger than myself. Remanding me in captivity or silencing my voice can just postpone the revolution, they cannot stop the movement." Madame Victoire Ingabire.
Ingabire Boycotts The Kangaroo Trial
Kigali 16 April 2012
Following continuing intimidation of defense witnesses, the opposition leader Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, FDU – Inkingi Chair, told today the High Court that she has irrevocably lost trust in this show trial and that subsequently she will boycott all the next hearings. She instructed her defense counsel to abide by her decision and stay away from this unfortunate circus.
Take action for Rwandan Opposition Politician Victoire Ingabire
20 October 2011
The purpose of this post is to ask you to take action, namely write to Paul Kagame, to request a fair trial. We need to bring more attention to the flawed nature of this case to the international community, and writing letters of protest to Kagame with a copy to your local politician is a good place to start.
UK and Dutch Diplomats follow Ingabire Trial in court
Kigali 5 October 2011
After the adjournment decided last week, the High Court reopened on Tuesday the trial of the opposition leader Madame Victoria Ingabire. In yesterday’s hearing the judge silently listened to the defence concerns before returning the word to the national public prosecution authority. Key diplomats including the Dutch Ambassador in Kigali , the British High Commission’s political affairs followed the trial.
Rwandan opposition leader trial postponed due to confusion
27 September 2011
Barely three weeks of the politically motivated case against the opposition leader Madame Victoire Ingabire has left the trial in a tailspin.
On Monday , Justice Alice Rulisa, lost her cool and furiously decided to postpone the hearings until 04 October 2011, in order to allow the prosecutor to prepare his response to the defence submissions on the principle of non-retroactivity of criminal law, and on the territorial jurisdiction of the high court.
On Monday , Justice Alice Rulisa, lost her cool and furiously decided to postpone the hearings until 04 October 2011, in order to allow the prosecutor to prepare his response to the defence submissions on the principle of non-retroactivity of criminal law, and on the territorial jurisdiction of the high court.
No political opposition under Kagame: Ingabire on trial
9 September 2011
The international community continues to ignore the Rwandan government’s human rights violations, killing and imprisonment of opposition leaders, media censorship, and assassination plots within Rwanda and abroad.
Understanding the reason why Victoire Ingabire is on trial
6 September 2011
Professor Kambanda said that Victoire is a great leader, capable of leading Rwanda, whose conflict has spilled into eastern Congo, to real reconciliation – between African people who have been manipulated by foreign powers to the point of human catastrophe. But Kambanda also thinks Victoire is such a great leader that Rwandan President Paul Kagame will never let her leave prison alive, or with her faculties intact.
Rwandan opposition says leader barred from seing a doctor
Kigali 1 August 2011
The leading Rwandan opposition figure Victoire Ingabire, who is in a Kigali jail on trumped up charges of supporting terrorism, has been barred from seeing her doctor since April, her party said Sunday. "Since April 2011, she is in total isolation. She has not been allowed to be seen by her doctor," Ingabire's Unified Democratic Forces said in a statement, without giving any details about her state of health. "All incarcerated opposition leaders remain in extreme isolation," it added.
The trial of Rwandan opposition leader postponed
Kigali 21 June 2011
On her request, the trial of Ms Victoire Ingabire has been postponed until September as she needs more time to prepare her defense. But what is behind the trumped up charges against her?
Dutch Minister to decide on evidence against Rwandan opposition leader Ingabire
3 June 2011
Will the Netherlands assist Rwanda in its case against jailed opposition leader Victoire Ingabire? That is the question after a Dutch court ruled today that three documents belonging to Ingabire can be handed over to the Public Prosecutor’s office in Kigali. But despite the ruling, those documents won’t be mailed just yet. The Dutch minister of Security and Justice is responsible for making the final decision and he is under mounting political pressure not to give the documents away.
Ms Ingabire's team not yet ready for Monday's start of trial
14 May 2011
The Rwandan prosecutor wants to start the long awaited trial of Victoire Ingabire this Monday. But there she won’t be represented by her legal team. “No, the trial won’t be proceeding on Monday and the prosecution knows this!” says one of her lawyers Iain Edwards. “We told the court that the defense won’t be ready to start this Monday.”
Ridiculous: Ingabire delaying her case
Kigali 16 March 2011
It is ridiculous to hear what Kigali is saying in the case of Ms Ingabire. According to the High Court, Ingabire and her lawyers have failed to
file their defence brief against the charges and evidence presented by
the prosecution, to allow the High Court to set a date for the hearing.
She was arrested in October 2010.
Prize Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
Montreal 15 March 2011
On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the International
Women’s Day, a prize named “Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza for Democracy
and Peace” was inaugurated on Saturday, March 12, 2011 in Montreal ,
Canada by the International Network of Women for Democracy and Peace
(IWNDP, aslo known by its French acronym, RifDP).
Rwandan opposition parties join forces against Kagame
26 January 2011
Two Rwandan opposition parties said on Wednesday that they have formed a joint strategy to fight the "dictatorship, discrimination and marginalisation" of President Paul Kagame's government. The Unified Democratic Forces of jailed opposition leader Victoire Ingabire and the Rwanda National Congress, led by four former Kagame allies, said the current Kigali government would drive the country into chaos unless changed.
Ingabire to remain in custody, High Court
Kigali 20 January 2011
For the third time the High Court ruled on Thursday (20 January 2011) to keep opposition politician Ingabire Victoire in preventive custody as prosecution builds the charge sheet against her. Judge Julian Ndinda ruled that Ingabire had abused her bail conditions for a separate but related case, which were granted to her in April last year.
Former Top Kagame Aides allege State of Terror
17 January 2011
Paul Kagame, once praised as Rwanda's savior is now being denounced by former allies and comrades in arms as someone who presides over a murderous regime. A military court in Rwanda has sentenced four former top officials who have fallen out with the government to long prison terms. They had been charged with subversive activities, including--terrorism, creation of a criminal organization, treason, defamation of the President, incitement of ethnic division, and desertion from the army.
"Don't fail Rwanda again. Your silence is killing people and democracy", Alice Muhirwa
14 January 2011
The political environment in Rwanda can be described as totally dry. Many opposition leaders from our parties are in detention, others are out on bail and their ability to move around is restricted. The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda’s vice president, Mr. André Rwisereka Kagwa, was beheaded. An independent journalist was murdered in Kigali. Two independent newspapers closed. While some members of the independent media were put under arrest, others fled into exile.
Ingabire trial: prosecution fails "evidence test"
3 December 2010
When the Director of Public Prosecution ordered the re-arrest of the opposition leader Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, he told both local and international media that the prosecution is in possession of new and strong incriminating evidence linking her to forming and funding a terrorist outfit, the Coalition of Democratic Forces. However, it has now emerged that the prosecution is still seeking extra time for certification of e-mail correspondences Ingabire allegedly had with the FDLR and further communication with some European governments, particularly the Dutch government, on matters relating to Ingabire’s terrorist activities. So where is the compelling evidence?
Uganda fury over UN report into DR Congo war crimes
Kampala 30 September 2010
Uganda has responded angrily to a leaked draft UN report which accuses its army of war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a letter obtained by the media, the Ugandan foreign minister condemns the report as "deeply flawed". He warns that the report could threaten Uganda's commitment to regional peacekeeping missions, such as Somalia.
Paul Rusesabagina wants the UN report to be published without modifications
Brussels 28 September 2010
In a letter to the UN Secretary General, Mr Rusesabagina says that "the Report of the Mapping Exercise on crimes in DRC from 1993 to 2003 due out October 1, 2010 carries for millions of Rwandans as well as millions of Congolese, almost the effect of divine intervention, because many people had lost all hope after waiting 20 long years for elusive justice".
UN relief as Rwanda 'drops Darfur peacekeeper threat'
New York 27 September 2010
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has thanked Rwanda for dropping its threat to withdraw peacekeepers from Darfur. Rwanda was furious after a leaked report accused its troops of committing genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwandan president denies massacre of Hutus in neighboring Dem. Republic of Congo
London 17 September 2010
The president of Rwanda on Thursday denied as "absurd" reports that Tutsis entered the Democratic Republic of Congo over the course of 10 years and massacred Hutu refugees there. Such accusations against Rwanda are motivated by people attempting to "create an equivalence," Kagame said. "They have been trying to say ... there are two genocides: There is one genocide of Tutsis and there is another genocide of Hutus."
Ban urges Rwanda not to withdraw UN peacekeepers
Kigali 8 September 2010
The UN's secretary general has urged Rwanda not to withdraw its peacekeepers from Sudan over a leaked report saying its troops may have committed genocide. The report accuses Rwandan soldiers of massacring civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1990s. Rwanda says the document is "malicious" and "ridiculous" and wants it amended.
Ban Ki-moon in Kigali to calm UN war crimes report row
Kigali 8 September 2010
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon meets state officials in Kigali Wednesday (8 September 2010) amidst a row over a leaked UN report accusing Rwandan troops of massacring civilians in DR Congo in 1996-97. Rwanda is threatening to pull troops from peacekeeping missions.
DR Congo 'genocide' report delayed by UN
2 September 2010
The UN has postponed the release of a draft report that accuses the Rwandan army of possible genocide in DR Congo. It follows angry protests from Rwanda about details in the leaked draft, with Rwanda threatening to pull its troops out of UN peacekeeping missions.
Bombshell UN report leaked: 'Crimes of genocide' against Hutus in Congo
26 August 2010
"The systematic and widespread attacks described in this report, which targeted very large numbers of Rwandan Hutu refugees and members of the Hutu civilian population, resulting in their death, reveal a number of damning elements that, if they were proven before a competent court, could be classified as crimes of genocide."
Party Vice President beheaded, President receives death threats
Kigali 14 July 2010
The body of Gakwe Rwisereka, the Vice-President of the Democratic Green Party was found by his family today by the banks of a river, nearly beheaded. "It is very scary now," said Frank Habineza, President of the Green Party. Mr Habineza said that Mr Rwisereka had been threatened before he disappeared and that Mr Habineza himself has also received death threats.
Rwanda: an oppostion party leader decapitated
Kigali 14 July 2010
The First Vice President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, Mr.Andre KAGWA RWISEREKA who went missing yesterday 13th July 2010, has been found dead this morning of 14th July 2010. His head was almost completely removed from his body.
Police warn Ingabire and co. against slander
Kigali 8 July 2010
Rwanda National Police has warned the Permanent Consultative Council of Opposition Parties in Rwanda (PCC) against making false accusations that opposition politicians are being tortured.
Rwanda: FDU blames police torture after Muhirwa faints in court
Kigali 8 July 2010
FDU-Inkingi Party leader and presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire reported that the FDU's treasurer, Alice Muhirwa, mother of two, fainted in a Rwandan courtroom yesterday due to untreated torture wounds inflicted by the Rwandan Police.
Ingabire should not rush us, Ngoga
Kigali 23 June 2010
The trial for Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire, the leader of the yet-to-be registered political party, FDU-Inkingi, will largely depend on cooperation from countries where Ingabire and the terrorist group; Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) conducted activities.
Crisis in Rwanda: under international pressure, Kagame Releases Defense Lawyer Erlinder on "Medical Grounds"
Kigali 17 June 2010
On Thursday 17 June 2010 Rwanda freed an American lawyer it has charged with genocide denial and threatening state security, allowing him to leave custody on health grounds while investigations continue.
ICTR calls for immediate release of Peter Erlinder from Rwandan prison, as Erlinder’s wife appeals to U.N. Security Council members
15 June 2010
“The tribunal, in a two-page letter to Erlinder’s Rwandan prosecutor and the Rwandan minister of foreign affairs, wrote that Erlinder should not be prosecuted because the case against him involves his work as a defense attorney in the tribunal, where his clients were Rwandans accused of genocide.
Ogetto warns of dangerous international legal precedent in Rwanda
Kigali 15 June 2010
"This means that all defense lawyers before the ICTR are potential suspects. And not only defense lawyers---even judges," he said. "The moment you become a defense lawyer, you're going to be interpreted like you're pro-genocide.
In pink prison clothes, Erlinder goes to High Court
Kigali 14 June 2010
On Monday 14 June 2010, Embattled American defence lawyer, Prof. Peter Erlinder, appeared before the High Court in Kigali to appeal against the ruling by a lower court to be remanded in custody awaiting the beginning of his trial on charges of Genocide denial.
ICTR lawyers causing deliberate confusion, says Mushikiwabo
Kigali 10 June 2010
The Rwandan Government has accused defence lawyers of the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR) of creating deliberate confusion by mixing their right to defend their clients in the Arusha-based tribunal and trying to rewrite the history of the Rwandan genocide.
Arrest of Rwandan opposition leader lawyer a blow to ICTR, international lawyers warn
Kampala 10 June 2010
An umbrella body for international criminal lawyers has warned that the continued detention of an opposition leader’s lawyer in Rwanda could deal a major blow to the operations of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
Release Prof Erlinder, the US Congress asks Kagame
Washington 8 June 2010
The US Congress is urging the Government of the Republic of Rwanda and President Paul Kagame to immediately release human rights lawyer Professor Peter Erlinder from jail and allow him to return to the United States.
Law school deans from across The United States sign letter calling for Professor Erlinder’s release
7 June 2010
On Monday, June 7, 90 law school deans from across the United States signed a letter calling for the release of Professor Peter Erlinder to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda W. Stuart Symington, and Rwandan Ambassador to the United States James Kimonyo.
ICTR attorney charged with contempt of court
Arusha 8 June 2010
The Trial Chamber III at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has filed a suit against defense attorney, Peter Robinson, for contempt of court by persistently refusing to examine a witness.
Rwanda will not short-circuit legal procedures to release American lawyer.
Kigali 4 June 2010
Rwanda will not short-circuit legal procedures to release American lawyer, Prof. Peter Erlinder, despite a request by the United States State Department to release him on compassionate and humanitarian grounds.
Erlinder is charged with denying the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and minimising it.
Erlinder is charged with denying the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and minimising it.
Handcuffed, Erlinder appears in Court
Kigali 4 June 2010
On 4 June 2010, the American lawyer Peter Erlinder, appeared in court for the preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to all charges levelled against him. They included denying and minimising the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
US calls for Rwanda to release Professor Erlinder
Washington 3 June 2010
The State Department on Thursday called on the Rwandan government to release a jailed U.S. law professor. Peter Erlinder has been in custody since Friday on charges he denied the central African country's 1994 genocide.
Erlinder’s lawyer riles Prosecution: "shut your mouth or go into prison"
Kigali 2 June 2010
Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga has warned an American lawyer, Kurt Kerns, that he risks landing into trouble for making derogatory remarks about the Rwandan Police. Ngoga made the threats during a press conference he called at his office, yesterday. Kerns is in the country as part of the defence team of Peter Erlinder, another American lawyer charged with Genocide denial.
Prof Erlinder attempts suicide!!!!
Kigali 2 June 2010
Embattled American lawyer, Peter Erlinder, tried to commit suicide in his cell by dissolving over 50 tablets in water and drinking the concoction, but was lucky that police intervened in time, it was revealed yesterday. Erlinder was still in hospital by press time, recovering from the cocktail of drugs for controlling high blood pressure and depression.
Peter Erlinder Jailed by One of the Major Genocidaires of Our Era
31 May 2010
The May 28 arrest of the U.S. attorney Peter Erlinder by the Paul Kagame dictatorship in Rwanda reveals much about this regime that is routinely sanitized in establishment U.S. and Western intellectual life and media coverage.
Rwanda arrests Mrs Ingabire's American lawyer Erlinder in Kigali
Kigali 28 May 2010
Rwandan Police have arrested Peter Erlinder, the American lawyer who traveled to Rwanda's capital, Kigali on Monday, May 23, to join the defense team of Rwandan presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza.
Ingabire ‘lawyer’ not accredited
Kigali 27 May 2010
Peter Erlinder, the American lawyer who is in the country to defend Victoire Ingabire, the embattled leader of the yet-to-be-registered political party, FDU-Inkingi has not yet received accreditation from the relevant authorities, to practice in the country.
EU Parliament Demands Protection for Rwandan Opposition Politicians
Brussels 17 May 2010
Members of the Human Rights Committee of the European Union Parliament have written a letter to the Rwandan Ambassador in Belgium Monsieur Gérard Ntwari, expressing grave concern over the continued harassment of opposition politicians in Rwanda.
Don't hold in contempt your own justice system.
Kigali 23 May 2010
The exclusive interview granted in Kigali last week by President Paul Kagame to Monitor Managing Editor DANIEL KALINAKI (online since 22nd May 2010) is disturbing. Either the Monitor is spreading forgery, fiction or falsification, either the President is overtaking and derailing the justice system he tailored from scratch. In either case, he needs to clear this situation.
Deepening security situation in Rwanda.
Kigali 19 May 2010
The Permanent Consultative Council of Opposition Parties in Rwanda which
brings together, The United Democratic Forces (FDU–Inkingi), The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, le Parti Social IMBERAKURI, is deeply concerned with the continued grenade attacks which are destabilising the security situation in the country, these barbaric acts are causing a serious security and political crisis to the people of Rwanda.
brings together, The United Democratic Forces (FDU–Inkingi), The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, le Parti Social IMBERAKURI, is deeply concerned with the continued grenade attacks which are destabilising the security situation in the country, these barbaric acts are causing a serious security and political crisis to the people of Rwanda.
Ingabire ordered to shut her mouth...
Kigali 13 may 2010
Prosecutor General Martin Ngoga, has warned Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire of FDU-Inkingi party, against giving interviews to newspapers, saying the bail terms bar her from doing that. “She is disregarding the bail conditions and may cause the Prosecution to initiate a process of bail cancellation.”
Africa's Female Mandela? Victoire Ingabiré Umuhoza on Trial
16 may 2010
Opposition presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza stood before a judge in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 22, after the Kagame government arrested and charged her with "associating with terrorists" and "genocide ideology," a crime unique to Rwanda which includes "divisionism" and "revisionism," meaning politics, and/or attempting to revise the received history of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.
Governor of Kigali City rejects UDF-INKINGI appeal
Kigali 6 May 2010
UDF-INKINGI understands that the current regime in Rwanda has decided to thoroughly lock up political space and does not intend to allow us to exercise our political rights. Today we introduce again our appeal directed to the Minister of Local Government. If ever he too rejects our application to hold the constitutional congress, it will be then obvious that our endeavours to make our organization be recognized and registered as a political party are but a mist.
Ingabire so-called accusers brought before court
Kigali 29 April 2010
TWO suspects accused alongside Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, for planning activities aimed at causing state insecurity, were yesterday arraigned before a judge at Gasabo Intermediate Court.
HRW attempted to blackmail Rwanda - Gov’t Spokesperson
Kigali 27 April 2010
Human Rights Watch (HRW), tried to blackmail the Government of Rwanda by writing a letter to President Paul Kagame, demanding that he intervenes and solve the work permit issues of its Country Director, or risk Rwanda being exposed to the world.
Rwandan Prosecution to produce irrefutable evidence linking Ingabire to a terrorist group
Kigali 27 April 2010
“The evidence is there, showing her engagement with FDLR, the money transfers she conducted, the emails she exchanged with the rebels in Eastern DR Congo and the trips to Kinshasa to meet them to plan attacks aimed at causing state insecurity,” Mushikiwabo said.
Incarceration then release on bail of Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
26 April 2010
"On April 13, 2010 when officiating the swearing in ceremony of the new Minister of Defense and military chiefs of Rwanda Defense Forces, you personally acknowledged to have killed score of people mainly Hutu when the RPF army dismantled refugee camps in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) starting in 1996. So stating that Hutu have been killed is not a mere statement.", OPJDR writes to Kagame.
Is Rwanda's Hero Becoming Its Oppressor?
Nairobi 24 April 2010
"What we say is that the government will use the genocide for political ends," Ingabire tells TIME by phone from Rwanda. "If we say 'Hutus were also victims,' for the government, this is genocide ideology. There was a genocide but there were also other crimes in Rwanda, there were crimes against humanity, and we have to remember all the victims of this tragedy."
U.S. Lawyers Support Rwandan Opposition Leader Victoire Umuhoza
Minnesota, USA, 22 April 2010
“Ingabire was arrested on trumped-up, political thought-crimes, including: association with a terrorist group, propagating the genocide ideology, genocide denial, revisionism and divisionism, all arising from the “crime” of publicly objecting to the Kagame military dictatorship, and Kagame’s version of the Rwandan history“, Peter Erlinder.
Ingabire released on bail
Kigali 21 April 2010
Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire, the embattled leader of the yet-to-be-registered political party, FDU-Inkingi, was yesterday arrested and arraigned before Gasabo Intermediate court. Ingabire is charged with association with a terrorist group, propagating the Genocide Ideology, Revisionism and Ethnic Division. She was released on bail.
UDF-Inkingi Support Committee demands her immediate and unconditional release.
Brussels 21 April 2010
The UDF – Inkingi Support Committee condemns in the strongest terms possible the arrest this morning of the party Chair, Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, for her views on how to bring about genuine national reconciliation and peace through the rule of law and equal opportunity and how to end the cycle of political violence through a non violent, peaceful democratic competition for and exercise of power.
Rwanda Main Opposition Leader Arrested
Kigali 21 April 2010
Barely two days after the Rwanda government arrested two senior military officers, today morning opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire, head of the United Democratic Forces (FDU) who was under police investigations has also been arrested. She is detained at Kicukiro Police station.
Rwanda: 'No proof against Victoire Ingabire'
1 April 2010
There is no evidence yet against the leader of the Rwandan opposition, says the Rwandan minister of Justice Tharcisse Karugarama in a recent interview with Radio Netherlands Worldwide. The case of Victoire Ingabire is still under police investigation in Kigali. Ingabire was forbidden to leave the country last week.
Rwanda: Secret services in flagrante delicto fabricating criminal evidence against opposition leader, Mrs. Victoire Ingabire
Kigali 30 March 2010
The escalating campaign of persecution and harassment of the opposition has reached a critical point. In a witch-hunting strategy to destroy or to put a stop to the opposition before they have a chance to put forward their ideas and make political gains, the secret services have resorted to fabricating criminal evidence by all means including the internet and electronic surveillance.
Ingabire arrested at Kigali International Airport
Kigali 23 March 2010
The leader of the yet-to-be registered political party, Forces Démocratiques Unifiées- FDU-Inkingi, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, was yesterday intercepted at Kigali International Airport, as she attempted to sneak out of the country.
Rwanda needs to create political space for everybody
Nairobi 11 March 2010
"Rwanda needs to allow the democratic process, to create political space for everybody, otherwise the elections will be a fait accompli. That will undermine Rwanda's democratic growth."
MEPs express concern over political tensions in Rwanda
Brussels 8 march 2010
"We are becoming increasingly concerned about the obstructions that are being placed in the path of the Rwandan Greens and other opposition Parties ahead of the Presidential elections due to be held in August. We also have fears for the personal security of one of our Green colleagues in Rwanda", they write to the President of European Commission.
"Political space is needed now", opposition parties say
Kigali, 26 February 2010
In a Press Release, they write, "This seems to be an attempt aimed at muzzling the democratic right of freedom of expression under the pretext of using the law. The Minister is stretching the interpretation of the constitution to its widest limits. This is intended to intimidate people into silence and to muzzle the freedom of speech."
I am home and safe
Kigali 22 February 2010
It’s true I was for many hours today inside the British High Commission in Kigali. We discussed the current political situation in Rwanda and threats to opposition leaders and I still expect that all the stakeholders will do the utmost for a peaceful democratisation of Rwanda.
Victoire Ingabire exiled in the British High Commission in Kigali?
22 February 2010
Following confirmed information of an imminent arrest, detention in a solitary confinement, physical and mental harassment and psychological torture, Ms. Victoire Ingabire, the Chair of UDF INKINGI, managed to reach the British High Commission in Kigali for a temporary refuge.
Rwandan opposition parties create their own forum
In a joint communique, the three main opposition parties (United Democratic Forces, Democratic Green Party and Social Party Imberakuri) have decided to create a permanent Consultative Council of Opposition Parties with a clear objective: "to define a common position and carry out appropriate work of lobbying and advocacy at national and international level". The document is also available in French.
Intimidation of Rwandan opposition parties must end, Amnesty International tells Kagame
In a letter to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Amnesty International urged him to use the elections as an opportunity to show the government's commitment to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. "Past elections have been marred by intimidation, however this year's vote gives Rwanda the chance to promote rights not repression," said Amnesty International's Africa Programme Deputy Director Tawanda Hondora.
Agent Provocateur Emerges in the Kingdom Kagame Built
Ms Ngabire, who has lived in The Netherlands since the early 1990s, is the most controversial political figure who has emerged in the recent past to challenge the status quo in the country, which prefers to suppress ethnic debate to forge national healing. She gave an interview to Charles Kazooba and Esther Nakazzi (15 February 2010)
Premier Makuza Warns Ingabire
Prime Minister Bernard Makuza has lashed out at Victoire Ingabire, the leader of the yet-to-be-registered political party - FDU-Inkingi, for what he said is an attempt to disrespect Rwandans and the country's laws.
End attacks on opposition parties, Human Rights Watch tells Kagame
The Rwandan government and the RPF have strongly resisted any political opposition or broader challenge of their policies by civil society. On several occasions, the government has used accusations of participation in the genocide, or "genocide ideology," as a way of targeting and discrediting its critics.
OPJDR accuses Kagame
"For the last 15 years, the government of Rwanda under your leadership has managed to do everything possible to silence any opposition and local media through various abuses and often purposely assimilating any opposition voice to divisionism which is a very significant allegation in a country that recently went through conflicts including genocide in 1994", writes OPJDR.
OPJDR writes to Gacaca boss
In this letter, OPJDR unreservedly condemns the behavior of Rwandan authorities and particularly the Service of Gacaca Courts and some state media, especially The New Times and Radio Rwanda, which are being used to do the "dirty work" of the RPF to intimidate and to physically eliminate any political dissent, real or imagined.