Leading opposition politician arrested in Rwanda
The leading opposition politician Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza has been arrested in the East African country of Rwanda.
20.06.2025, 10:56
SDA
According to the country's highest investigative authority, the arrest is in connection with proceedings relating to alleged attempts to instigate unrest in the country. In the proceedings, nine defendants, including a well-known Youtuber, are accused of planning to overthrow the government.
This is not Ingabire's first arrest: she was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2013 for conspiracy against the government and inciting division, among other things, and was released in 2018 thanks to an amnesty. However, she lost her civil rights and was not allowed to run against incumbent Paul Kagame in last year's presidential election.
Kagame, who has been president of the "land of a thousand hills" since 2000, was re-elected for a fourth term in 2024 with 99% of the vote. He stabilized the country after the 1994 genocide and is considered the strong man of Rwanda. Human rights organizations accuse him of persecuting members of the opposition and critical journalists. Proceedings against leading opposition politicians are also currently underway in Rwanda's neighboring countries Uganda and Tanzania.
