On 20 June 2025, four Rwandan organisations in exile — ARC Urunana, RDI-Rwanda Rwiza, the Seth Sendashonga Institute, and the Initiative for Peace in the Great Lakes Region — issued a joint call demanding the unconditional release of Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza and all political prisoners and journalists imprisoned in Rwanda for their opinions or professional activities. The call was led by Maximilien Sikubwabo for ARC Urunana (Ottawa), Hildebrand Kayibanda for RDI-Rwanda Rwiza (Brussels), Jean Claude Kabagema for the Seth Sendashonga Institute (Brussels), and Julienne Ingabire for the Initiative for Peace in the Great Lakes Region (Bern).
These organisations denounce what they describe as a renewed campaign of demonisation against Victoire Ingabire, spearheaded by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau. They see this as part of a broader, long-standing strategy by the Rwandan government to silence dissenting voices. According to the signatories, this attempt to criminalise Ingabire is just one more episode in a pattern of repression targeting peaceful opposition figures.
Victoire Ingabire, a well-known opposition leader, represents a political alternative based on peace, dialogue, and social justice. Her commitment to democratic transition has already led to several years in prison. The signatories believe her current detention, like that of other political opponents and independent journalists, is rooted in political repression.
They call on the international community — including the United Nations, the African Union, and the European Union — to make any cooperation with the Rwandan government conditional on respect for fundamental freedoms and the establishment of a genuine democratic space. They also advocate for the launch of a credible, inclusive inter-Rwandan dialogue with no exclusions.
The signatories express their solidarity with all those arbitrarily detained and reaffirm their commitment to defending their rights on the international stage.
Therwandan
