In a recent statement to the Guardian, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, a prominent opposition leader in Rwanda, expressed her skepticism regarding the Rwandan government’s commitment to a controversial asylum agreement with the UK. This deal, championed by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, involves the deportation of asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda.
Ingabire, who has been barred from participating in Rwanda’s electoral process, has launched a legal claim in the East African Court of Justice based in Arusha, Tanzania. She argues for her right to oppose President Paul Kagame in the upcoming general elections scheduled for July. Her disqualification from running for office stems from an eight-year imprisonment on charges that international observers, including Amnesty International, have criticized as unjust.
Despite being pardoned by President Kagame in 2018, Ingabire continues to face significant restrictions, including being unable to leave the country to visit her gravely ill husband in Holland or her children. The Rwandan High Court recently upheld a March decision that some conditions of her 2018 release still need to be met, preventing her from running in the elections.
Ingabire’s concerns extend beyond her personal predicaments to broader issues of justice and governance in Rwanda. She cites her continuous reliance on regional courts as evidence of a flawed justice system in Rwanda that, according to her, fails to uphold fair legal standards and international law obligations. This critique comes at a critical time when Rwanda has entered into a high-stakes immigration partnership with the UK.
Her criticisms are echoed in recent reports by international bodies. A UK Home Office document highlighted ongoing safety concerns for opposition politicians and journalists in Rwanda, noting forced exiles and assassinations of government critics. This report aligns with the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index, which characterizes the Rwandan regime as having a strong authoritarian grip, with minimal space for political diversity and freedom of expression.
In response, a Rwandan government spokesperson has dismissed Ingabire as a criminal, alleging her involvement with violent militias and efforts to destabilize the country. According to the spokesperson, the evidence from her trial, which included testimonies and documents from Dutch authorities, justifies her disqualification from political participation.
