On Wednesday, the Rwandan High Court heard a case in which Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, a self-declared opposition politician who had previously been convicted, is requesting to be cleared and restored in order to regain all of her rights as a citizen, which were taken away from her due to her conviction on serious criminal charges.
After being imprisoned and then found guilty of conspiring to incite uprisings and overthrow an established government, as well as of downplaying and denying the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Ingabire was sentenced to eight years in prison. She returned to Rwanda in 2010.
She subsequently filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of the nation, which upheld the decision and extended her prison sentence to 15 years in December 2013.
President Paul Kagame shortened Ingabire’s 15-year prison term and awarded her mercy after she served half of it, resulting in her release in September 2018.
Ingabire made her legal representation known in a high court appearance today, arguing that her conduct in the five years since her release qualifies her for a criminal record clearance under the nation’s rules.
She filed a lawsuit in November 2023 to seek that right for the aforementioned reasons. According to the legislation, the case must be heard in the military high court for soldiers and the high court for civilians at least one month after it is filed.
The appellant had to meet certain requirements in order to be qualified, including upholding government programs, acting morally, and carrying out civic duties.
Since her release, Ingabire claimed to have respected government initiatives by taking part in the monthly community service project known as “Umuganda” and the national remembrance of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. She added that she lived in harmony with the people in the village.
Ingabire’s attorney, Gatera Gashabana, further said that Ingabire complied with the terms of her parole by staying in the nation despite numerous occasions that would have compelled her to leave Rwanda, such as visiting her purportedly ill spouse.
The prosecution, however, took issue with Ingabire’s submissions, claiming that since her release, she has never complied with the terms placed upon her, such as showing up once a month to the prosecution at the primary level in her neighborhood to prove her residence and to participate in national initiatives that involve community service.
The complaint stated that Ingabire only disregarded the program during COVID-19, when a significant portion of civil officials were working from home, despite the prosecution’s claim that she never adhered to the requirement to appear before the prosecution each month.
As per the prosecution, they conducted a check and discovered that other individuals with the same illness had previously appeared. However, Ingabire said that since 75% of the personnel was permitted to work remotely, she had resumed her appearances following the epidemic.
The prosecution further charged Ingabire with participating in illicit political actions such as conducting oneself as president, releasing several communiqués, and chairing meetings while belonging to the unregistered political parties DALFA Umurinzi and FDU Inkingi.
Ingabire defended herself, stating that she never organized a meeting and that there are loopholes in the statute governing the registration of political parties. DALFA Umurinzi, according to her attorney, is merely an association and not a political party.
Additionally, the prosecution stated in court that Ingabire behaved badly since the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) had called her three times.
She responded by citing two cases in which it was claimed that she was planning an illegal demonstration and supporting armed groups in the Kinigi neighborhood of Musanze district. In a second case, she was accused of holding meetings with political parties.
According to her, no charges were brought since she demonstrated to RIB that she was not at fault in either scenario.
According to the prosecution, Ingabire is facing significant charges that deny her the right to acquittal, some of which include providing support to armed and terrorist organizations.
Despite being involved in a legal case involving armed groups like the FDLR, Ingabire insisted throughout her hearing that she had always supported peaceful talks over war.
The defense contested the prosecution’s citations of prior cases in which defendants found not guilty of comparable offenses.
Prosecutors contended throughout Ingabire’s trial that she had collaborated closely with armed groups that were mostly based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), citing several co-accused persons who were connected to the aforementioned groups.
