Rwanda
Thursday 11.3.2021 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
Crackdown on critics continues
On 5th March 2021, YouTube activist Yvonne Idamange Iryamukwiza was arraigned in a court in Kigali. Idamange Iryamukwiza is facing six charges, including 'spreading rumours using technology', 'contempt for genocide memorials' and 'obstruction of the implementation of government policies' among other charges Read more
Wednesday 10.2.2021 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
Kizito Mihigo named as the first artist to receive prestigious human rights award posthumously
Late gospel musician Kizito Mihigo who died in police custody in February 2020, was posthumously awarded the Havel Prize for Creative Dissent, an international award that celebrates artists working under extremely restrictive conditions; Tensions rise between the BBC and the government of Rwanda and its supporters. Following the BBC publishing an article entitled “The Loyalty Oath Keeping Rwandans Abroad in Check;” Rwandan Media Commission (RMC) announced plans to officially register YouTube channels that operate as media outlets Read more
Friday 16.10.2020 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
Rwandan government continues to target opposition in exile.
New details emerged in late-August 2020 related to the disappearance of Benjamin Rutabana, a member of the Rwandan National Congress ; Paul Rusesabagina, a Rwandan opposition figure and outspoken critic living in Europe, was arrested and detained by Rwandan authorities; University of Rwanda dismisses Aimable Karasira, a computer science lecturer, for political posts on his YouTube channel. Read more
Wednesday 9.9.2020 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
Multiple Journalists Arrested Throughout COVID-19 Lockdown Period
At least six journalists arrested in the first two weeks of April 2020 for allegedly violating measures put in place by the government during the COVID-19 lockdown; as Rwanda approached its review by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), concerns mounted over a disconnect between law and practice even as the country was credited for undertaking extensive media reforms since its previous UPR review; The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) rules in favour of two Rwandan journalists, Agnès Uwimana and Saidati Mukakibib, who had been charged and sentenced for the publication of various articles in 2010, which criticised President Paul Kagame Read more
Friday 17.4.2020 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
Civil Society calls for investigation into death of popular musician and activist
Civil society calls for for justice over the death of popular singer and activist Kizito Mihigo who was found dead in his cell on 17th February 2020; Rwanda and Uganda signed an extradition treaty which is feared will allow for Rwandan dissidents, especially those involved in the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), to be extradited to Rwanda Read more
Tuesday 14.1.2020 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
President Kagame Denies Spying on Opponents Abroad
American pastor deported on accusation of hate speech, President Kagame denies spying on dissidents abroad, while outspoken government critic confirms being a victim of surveillance while in exile Read more
Monday 4.11.2019 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
South Africa issues warrants for two Rwandans in 2014 murder of ex spy chief
Australia's national broadcaster reported that a network of alleged Rwandan spies has been working to suppress dissident refugees in the country, South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority issued arrest warrants for two Rwandans accused of murdering Rwandan critic Colonel Patrick Karegeya, who was found dead in his hotel room in Johannesburg in 2014, Syridio Dusabumuremyi, an official of the FDU-Inkingi party had been stabbed and murdered in an attack by two men at a shop where he worked, Rwanda voted in favour of extending the mandate of the United Nations LGBT rights watchdog for another three years at the U.N. Human Rights Council, Supreme Court in Rwanda rejected a challenge to the law created in 2018 which maintains that it is a crime to insult the president, Burundian musician Jean Pierre Nimbona, popularly known as Kidum, was banned from playing at the Kigali Jazz Fusion festival. Read more
Tuesday 23.4.2019 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
Tensions escalate as Rwanda Temporarily Shuts Border with Uganda
