The Rwandan judiciary has determined that opposition head and rebel, Victoire Ingabire, is not qualified to participate in the upcoming July presidential race due to past convictions for terrorism and denying the occurrence of genocide.
A vocal opponent of Paul Kagame, the longstanding president of Rwanda, Ingabire served eight years in jail before being granted a presidential clemency in 2018 that reduced her 15-year imprisonment.
She requested the Kigali high court for permission to participate in the 15 July elections, despite a rule prohibiting candidates with six months or more imprisonment.
The judge announced that the court rejected Ingabire’s appeal to have her conviction overturned.
After the court’s decision, Ingabire expressed her disagreement, stating that it appeared to be influenced by political motives. She also noted the lack of independence in our country’s court system.
Per the laws of Rwanda, she will have the opportunity to challenge the decision after a period of two years has elapsed.
The upcoming election is predicted to secure Kagame a fourth term in office, spanning seven years. This follows his involvement in contentious changes to the constitution, which could potentially allow him to remain in power until 2034.
The 66-year-old leader has been in power for several decades in the African country, which is surrounded by land. He has won presidential elections in 2003, 2010, and 2017 with over 90% of the vote each time.
The only competitor to Kagame in the upcoming July election is Frank Habineza, who is the leader of the Green party and received 0.45% of the vote in 2017. All other legally recognized opposition parties are endorsing the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front.
The political organization called Dalfa Umurunzi (Development and Liberty for All), led by Ingabire, is not currently recognized by the government of Rwanda.
Ingabire, a 55-year-old Hutu, faced allegations of promoting division for openly challenging the official version of the 1994 genocide, which was directed towards the Tutsi minority and resulted in the deaths of approximately 800,000 individuals.
Kagame has received recognition for establishing peace in the African nation, yet his administration’s poor track record in regards to human rights has sparked criticism.
In a post shared on social media following Wednesday’s decision, Ingabire expressed that the verdict “is not just a blow to me personally, but also highlights the larger challenges our country is facing.”
Today’s choice serves as a harsh indication of the hurdles to involvement in politics and the pressing call for change in our nation’s system of governance.
Ingabire often makes allegations against the leader of Rwanda for stifling opposition and disregarding the needs of the impoverished.
After being released from jail in 2018, she stated to the media that her freedom was a result of outside pressure on the government of Rwanda, leading Kagame to caution her, “Do not be surprised if you end up back in prison.”
Many opponents of the government have vanished or died under unexplained circumstances in recent years.
In September 2019, a member of FDU-Inkingi, Ingabire’s former party, was attacked with a knife near the city of Kigali. This incident occurred six months after the abduction of the party’s spokesperson, Anselm Mutuyimana, whose body was subsequently discovered in a forest.
After residing in the Netherlands for over two decades, Ingabire came back to Rwanda in 2010 with plans to pursue the presidency as the head of the FDU-Inkingi party.
However, she was apprehended for advocating for the investigation and punishment of those responsible for committing crimes against the Hutu people.
Source: theguardian.com
