Judge in high-profile Rwandan trial 'biased'
Publish date: 26 September 2018
Issue Number: 4552
Diary: Legalbrief Today
Category: General
Lawyers for a prominent critic of Rwanda's President Paul Kagame say they believe one of the trial judges is biased because of her involvement in pre-trial detention hearings, and must therefore be removed. BBC News reports that the trial, which began on Monday at the High Court in Kigali, has been postponed indefinitely. Legalbrief notes that Diane Rwigara was charged on 23 September 2017, alongside her mother and four other defendants, with 'inciting insurrection'. She was also barred from running in last year's presidential election, which Kagame won with nearly 99% of the vote. Amnesty International has called on the Rwandan judiciary to ensure that the trial did not become just another means to persecute government critics.