On Thursday, 19 June 2025, Rwanda’s High Council of the Judiciary ordered a formal investigation into opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, following allegations connecting her to a group accused of plotting to overthrow the government. The decision was announced during an ongoing trial of nine individuals, including journalist Théoneste Nsengimana and political activist Sylvain Sibomana, who are accused of having led or participated in subversive training activities. The defendants have been in detention since 2021.
The court concluded that the information provided by Ingabire during her testimony was insufficient and that evidence presented by the prosecution pointed to a potential role she may have played in planning or supporting the alleged activities. The judges ruled that the prosecution must open a two-week investigation to gather further evidence, after which Ingabire will be formally included among the accused in the case. The trial is scheduled to resume on 7 July 2025.
Ingabire, a long-time critic of President Paul Kagame’s government and the leader of the unregistered political movement DALFA-Umurinzi, appeared in court alongside her lawyer, Me Gatera Gashabana. During the hearing, she denied any involvement in organising military-style trainings or any plot to topple the government. She admitted to knowing some of the co-accused but insisted that neither she nor her party had ever been involved in such activities.
“My party, DALFA-Umurinzi, has never been officially recognised. Despite repeated efforts to register it, all my attempts have failed,” she told the court. “This party does not exist in a legal framework and therefore could not have been used to organise or carry out any training or activities of the sort being alleged.”
Her lawyer, Gatera Gashabana, reiterated that Ingabire had faced numerous legal and administrative obstacles in trying to register the party and had ultimately instructed her provisional committee to suspend any membership recruitment or organisational activities.
The prosecution, however, maintained that Ingabire played a significant role in supporting training initiatives that were at the centre of the case. Prosecutors also linked these alleged trainings to “Ingabire Day,” an annual event reportedly celebrated by some of her supporters in the Rwandan diaspora. Ingabire dismissed the connection, stating that she had no part in organising the event and that her only involvement was limited to sending a brief message when asked.
The presiding judge, who spoke in a calm tone, reminded Ingabire before her statement that she was not being treated as a suspect at that point, but rather as someone providing information to assist the court.
Following her testimony, the judges withdrew to deliberate, returning later to declare that the information she had provided was not sufficient to dismiss suspicions of her involvement. As a result, the court authorised the prosecution to proceed with an inquiry into her role, which could lead to formal charges.
Meanwhile, heavy police presence was reported at Victoire Ingabire’s residence. Witnesses said uniformed and plainclothes officers had cordoned off the area and were conducting a thorough search inside the house. Local reports suggest that police units entered the property shortly after the court session ended and have been combing through personal belongings and documents.
Victoire Ingabire previously served time in prison after being convicted in 2012 on charges of inciting divisionism and conspiring against the state—charges she has always denied and that rights groups and international observers widely criticised as politically motivated. Since her release in 2018, she has remained active in politics, although her efforts to register a political party have consistently been blocked by authorities.
The case is seen by many observers as another sign of the government’s hard stance on political dissent in a country where opposition parties and independent media face significant restrictions.
Therwandan
