RWANDA: FDU-INKINGI DENOUNCES THE ABDUCTION OF Mr. NTIRUTWA THEOPHILE, PARTY LEADER IN KIGALI-CITY

The political party FDU-Inkingi has been alerted about the disappearance of Mr. Theophile Ntirutwa, its local leader in Kigali-City, Rwanda.

According to information provided by his family, Mr. Theophile Ntirutwa was abducted by the military on September 18, 2016 at 9:30 pm local time in the town of Kabuga-Nyarutarama commonly known as “Mu rw’impyisi” (Hyenas Den) while returning home on his motorcycle. The military put him in a military vehicle and took him to unknown destination. This is not the first time that Mr. Théophile Ntirutwa suffered from such a terrorism of the dictatorship in place.

The kidnapping of Mr. Theophile Ntirutwa follows this same day the kidnapping of Mr. Jean-Marie Vianney Kayumba, Spokesperson of PDP-Imanzi political party, who was arrested this morning in still unclear circumstances. This series of abductions adds to the recent arrest of Miss Gasengayire Leonille, Assistant Treasurer of FDU-Inkingi, who was recently remanded in prison for 30 days despite the lack of evidence of guilt against her. Previously, the first Vice-president of FDU-Inkingi was also kidnapped.

This new escalation of arrests of opposition members arrested recently echoes the words uttered by President Kagame, who, during his address to the youth gathered for an ideological training in Kigali-City, threatened to kill anyone who would venture to cross what he called “the red line”. It also demonstrates the willingness of the RPF to continue to harass opponents in hope to completely silence all of them on the eve of 2017, the year in which President Kagame will forcefully maintain himself on power.

FDU-Inkingi calls upon the international community, donor countries of the Rwandan government, international human rights organizations and all peace loving people and champions of democratic values, who have any influence, to put pressure on the Rwandan government so that it may cease intimidation and harassment of members of the opposition, release all political prisoners and open up the political space in order to allow the population to fully enjoy civil and political human rights that are granted by the Rwandan Constitution and the international conventions that the Rwandan government has signed.

Done in Paris, France, on September 18, 2016.

For FDU-Inkingi

Dr. Emmanuel Mwiseneza
Second Secretary General
Contact: [email protected]

Communiqué-SOS-enlevement-Ntirutwa.EN