A court ruling in Rwanda has upheld the prohibition preventing prominent opposition figure Victoire Ingabire from participating in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for July. Ingabire, who was released from an eight-year prison term in 2018 on charges related to state security threats and alleged minimization of the 1994 genocide, sought to challenge the ban on her candidacy, but the court’s decision dismissed her efforts.
In Rwanda, individuals incarcerated for longer than six months are ineligible to contest elections, a stipulation that effectively excludes Ingabire from the electoral process. Responding to the court’s verdict, Ingabire denounced the ruling as politically motivated, underscoring broader concerns regarding human rights and democratic freedoms within the nation. She conveyed her discontent through a statement disseminated via social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Outside the courthouse in Kigali, the capital city, the 55-year-old politician expressed her disagreement with the court’s decision, lamenting the absence of avenues for immediate appeal. She emphasized the prevailing challenges in fostering a society governed by the rule of law.
Ingabire has emerged as a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame, who has maintained a dominant presence in Rwandan politics for over three decades. Kagame’s overwhelming electoral victories, securing more than 90% of the vote in presidential elections held in 2003, 2010, and 2017, coupled with constitutional amendments potentially extending his tenure, have drawn scrutiny from rights organizations.
While Kagame has staunchly defended Rwanda’s human rights record, asserting the country’s commitment to political freedoms, his administration has faced accusations of suppressing dissenting voices. The upcoming presidential election currently features only one challenger besides Kagame, Frank Habineza of the Green Party, who garnered a mere 0.45% of the vote in the previous election cycle.
Ingabire’s political journey has been marked by adversity, including her arrest upon her return from exile in the Netherlands to contest the 2010 presidential election, subsequent disqualification from candidacy, and eventual imprisonment. Despite her release and subsequent founding of the Dalfa-Umurinzi opposition party, she continues to face obstacles in her political endeavors.
A member of the Hutu ethnic group, Ingabire encountered controversy for questioning the absence of Hutu representation in Rwanda’s official memorial commemorating the 1994 genocide, which primarily targeted Tutsis but also claimed the lives of Hutu moderates. Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), comprised predominantly of Tutsis, played a pivotal role in halting the genocide, transitioning from a rebel group to a political entity.
