Opposition accused of plot to destabilise government

Prominent Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire had been expected to appear in court last Friday, following her five-day detention by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) on allegations that she was involved in a plot to incite public unrest and destabilise the government of President Paul Kagame. According to Amjambo Africa, Ingabire, who leads the unregistered opposition party DALFA–Umurinzi, was arrested last week in Kigali after appearing before the court in a case involving nine individuals, including former members of her party and journalist Théoneste Nsengimana. The group is accused of attempting to overthrow the government. Prosecutors allege that Ingabire maintained communication with the nine suspects and that her testimony in court failed to rule out the suspicion of criminal activity. Judges subsequently ordered prosecutors to investigate her directly and arraign her alongside the co-accused at the next hearing. Her international legal team, however, has strongly condemned the arrest, calling it ‘baseless’ and politically motivated. Legal experts note that under Rwandan law, the RIB is permitted to detain suspects for up to five days before transferring them to the National Public Prosecution Authority, which is then obliged to present the suspect before court for a bail hearing. On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch condemned Ingabire’s detention, describing it as part of a broader crackdown on political dissent in Rwanda. Ingabire has long been one of the most visible opposition figures in Rwanda. After returning from exile in 2010 with the intention to run for president, she was barred from contesting and later sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of conspiring to undermine the government and denying the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi – charges she has consistently denied.

Full report in Amjambo Africa