— Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday condemned the harassment of political opposition figures in Rwanda, which holds presidential elections in August.
"Opposition party members are facing increasing threats, attacks, and harassment in advance of Rwanda's August 2010 presidential election," the New York-based rights group said in a statement.
The group urged the government to investigate all such incidents and to "ensure that opposition activists are able to go about their legitimate activities without fear".
"In the past week, members of the FDU-Inkingi and the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda -- new opposition parties critical of government policies -- have suffered serious incidents of intimidation by individuals and institutions close to the government and the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front," HRW said.
The group cited an incident in which FDU member Joseph Ntawangundi was attacked in front of a local government office.
"The attack appeared to have been well coordinated, suggesting it had been planned in advance," HRW said.
Ntawangundi has since been jailed after being sentenced in absentia in 2007 to 19 years by a gacaca court, one of the grassroots tribunals set up to try the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.
"The Rwandan government already tightly controls political space," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at HRW.
"These incidents will further undermine democracy by discouraging any meaningful opposition in the elections," she warned.
President Paul Kagame, who has been in power since the end of the genocide, has been regularly accused of muzzling the opposition and is widely expected to seek and secure re-election in August.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Rwanda leaders 'bullying critics'
Rwanda's government is attacking and intimidating its critics in the run-up to August's presidential election, the US-based Human Rights Watch says.
The group says the leaders target opponents by accusing them of having taken part in the 1994 genocide.
The aide of one opposition leader has been jailed for genocide crimes, but he claims he was abroad at the time.
President Paul Kagame says he respects people's rights but will not tolerate anyone undermining peace and stability.
However, Human Rights Watch says intimidation of the opposition is undermining democracy.
Beaten, jailed
The group cites the case of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, who recently caused controversy by suggesting that crimes committed against the Hutu population during the genocide should be investigated.
She was denounced in media outlets close to the government as a "negationist" of the genocide.
Last week, her aide Joseph Ntawangundi was beaten up at a local government office and later jailed for crimes committed during the genocide.
Officials said he had been convicted in absentia while he was living in exile.
He has protested his innocence, saying he was in Europe during the genocide, but HRW says he has not yet been allowed to see his Rwandan lawyer.
"The Rwandan government already tightly controls political space," says HRW's Georgette Gagnon.
"These incidents will further undermine democracy by discouraging any meaningful opposition in the elections."
Ms Ingabire, a Hutu, was criticised last month for highlighting crimes against Hutus during the 1994 genocide.
Some 800,000 people were killed in 100 days of violence in Rwanda - most of them Tutsis, but many moderate Hutus were also massacred.
Ms Ingabire, who recently returned to the country after 16 years in the Netherlands, has been an outspoken critic of the government.
Mr Kagame's Tutsi-dominated former rebels took power to end the genocide.
The group says the leaders target opponents by accusing them of having taken part in the 1994 genocide.
The aide of one opposition leader has been jailed for genocide crimes, but he claims he was abroad at the time.
President Paul Kagame says he respects people's rights but will not tolerate anyone undermining peace and stability.
However, Human Rights Watch says intimidation of the opposition is undermining democracy.
Beaten, jailed
The group cites the case of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, who recently caused controversy by suggesting that crimes committed against the Hutu population during the genocide should be investigated.
She was denounced in media outlets close to the government as a "negationist" of the genocide.
Last week, her aide Joseph Ntawangundi was beaten up at a local government office and later jailed for crimes committed during the genocide.
Officials said he had been convicted in absentia while he was living in exile.
He has protested his innocence, saying he was in Europe during the genocide, but HRW says he has not yet been allowed to see his Rwandan lawyer.
"The Rwandan government already tightly controls political space," says HRW's Georgette Gagnon.
"These incidents will further undermine democracy by discouraging any meaningful opposition in the elections."
Ms Ingabire, a Hutu, was criticised last month for highlighting crimes against Hutus during the 1994 genocide.
Some 800,000 people were killed in 100 days of violence in Rwanda - most of them Tutsis, but many moderate Hutus were also massacred.
Ms Ingabire, who recently returned to the country after 16 years in the Netherlands, has been an outspoken critic of the government.
Mr Kagame's Tutsi-dominated former rebels took power to end the genocide.
'Rwanda clamping down on political opponents'
Kigali - A Rwandan opposition party and a rights group said on Wednesday that the authorities were clamping down on political opponents six months before the presidential election."Opposition party members are facing increasing threats, attacks and harassment in advance of Rwanda's August 2010 presidential election," said Human Rights Watch.The New York-based rights group urged the government to investigate all such incidents and to "ensure that opposition activists are able to go about their legitimate activities without fear".An opposition leader who returned from exile last month to run in the elections was taken in for questioning by the police on Wednesday.The criminal investigation department... today summoned Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza without giving any reason," said Ingabire's FDU party."Obviously this branch of the executive is carrying out the injunction of the president of the Republic the day before yesterday," the group said, referring to a declaration by President Paul Kagame at a press conference.Rwandan police spokesman Eric Kayiranga confirmed that Ingabire had been questioned and later allowed to return home.The Rwanda News Agency quoted Kagame on Monday as charging that Ingabire was "making comments and doing all her activities illegally and as an 'individual' because her party has not been registered".Her questioning followed the jailing of her assistant, Joseph Ntawangundi, who was sentenced in absentia in 2007 to 19 years by a gacaca court, one of the grassroots tribunals set up to try perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.The FDU says that Ntawangundi was in Sweden on a training course at the time of the genocide.Ntawangundi and Ingabire were last week attacked at a municipal office in the capital.Ingabire escaped but Ntawangundi told Human Rights Watch he had been "attacked for about 45 minutes by scores of young men who punched, kicked and scratched me, threw me into the air, and ripped my clothes".Kayiranga played down the incident, saying the two had been attacked by people in the queue who were angered because they had been attended to before others who "had been waiting for days".Human Rights Watch said another new opposition party, the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, had also suffered "serious incidents of intimidation" by individuals close to the government and the ruling party."The Rwandan government already tightly controls political space," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch."These incidents will further undermine democracy by discouraging any meaningful opposition in the elections," she said.Human Rights Watch said that in 2009 several meetings of the Green Party and PS-Imberakuri - another opposition party - had been broken up by the police.PS-Imberakuri finally managed to register in November. Human Rights Watch said that the Green Party had still not succeeded in registering, and its members had come under pressure to give up their political activities."This escalation of attacks against opposition party members does not bode well for the election," said Gagnon. Kagame, who has been in power since the end of the genocide, has been regularly accused of muzzling the opposition and is widely expected to seek and secure re-election in August.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Rwandan opposition figure arrested for genocide
KIGALI — A Rwandan opposition figure who returned from exile last month was arrested at the weekend to serve a 19-year prison term handed down by a local tribunal trying genocide suspects, police said Monday.
Joseph Ntawangundi, an aide to the leader of the Unified Democratic Party (FDU), had been convicted in absentia for genocide by one of the grassroots courts known as gacaca in Rwanda's eastern Ngoma province.
"He was arrested Saturday on an arrest warrant issued by a gacaca and dated 2007," police spokesman Eric Kayiranga told AFP. "He was sentenced to 19 years prison in absentia in 2007."
Ntawangundi and FDU leader Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza returned home in mid-January to register their party ahead of presidential elections set for August in which Ingabire plans to run.
The FDU protested that Ntawangundi was not in the country during the 1994 genocide that left some 800,000 dead.
"During the genocide Mr Joseph Ntawangundi was doing two months of training in Sweden for the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. Shortly after that he returned to Kenya," Ingabire said in a statement on her party's website.
"There is no way he could have been in the place where he is supposed to have committed this alleged crime," added Ingabire, a critic of the gacaca courts.
Last week the two were roughed up by a mob at a government building where they had gone to collect some documents.
Joseph Ntawangundi, an aide to the leader of the Unified Democratic Party (FDU), had been convicted in absentia for genocide by one of the grassroots courts known as gacaca in Rwanda's eastern Ngoma province.
"He was arrested Saturday on an arrest warrant issued by a gacaca and dated 2007," police spokesman Eric Kayiranga told AFP. "He was sentenced to 19 years prison in absentia in 2007."
Ntawangundi and FDU leader Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza returned home in mid-January to register their party ahead of presidential elections set for August in which Ingabire plans to run.
The FDU protested that Ntawangundi was not in the country during the 1994 genocide that left some 800,000 dead.
"During the genocide Mr Joseph Ntawangundi was doing two months of training in Sweden for the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. Shortly after that he returned to Kenya," Ingabire said in a statement on her party's website.
"There is no way he could have been in the place where he is supposed to have committed this alleged crime," added Ingabire, a critic of the gacaca courts.
Last week the two were roughed up by a mob at a government building where they had gone to collect some documents.
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