THE UDF INKINGI PARTY DENOUNCES AN UPSURGE IN ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND THREATS AGAINST ITS ALLEGED SUPPORTERS IN NGOMA DISTRICT, EASTERN REGION OF RWANDA.

Justin Bahunga, Commissioner for External Relations and spokesperson-FDU-Inkingi

PRESS RELEASE

We have learnt from reliable sources that the security services of the
district of Ngoma, Eastern province of Rwanda have embarked on a renewed
witch hunt against suspected members of our party in the areas of
Remera, Gashanda and Kazo. The suspicions are based on the simple fact
that they visited the party president, Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza,
detained in Mageragere prison near the capital Kigali.

According to sources within the local administration, the exercise of
summoning and warning those who visit Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza is
going to continue. The people who were summoned and harassed are
reluctant to give details of their ordeal at the hands of the security
services, for fear of their personal safety and safety of their
families, relatives and friends. They fear to pick telephone calls from
abroad for fear that their phones are tapped.

We would like to recall that the late Jean Damascene Habarugira, a
member of the party who was assassinated by security services in May
2017 and his mutilated body dumped in the Nyamata mortuary, comes from
the same area.

This new wave of arrests is based on an electoral campaign for the
legislative elections scheduled for this year 2018, whose results are
already known. The system wants to stop anyone who would be tempted to
vote for a candidate not listed by the ruling party RPF.

The UDF Inkingi recalls that no law prohibits Rwandan citizens from
visiting a person whose final conviction has taken place. If that were
the case, the authorities would not allow such visits to all prisoners.

The UDF Inkingi hope that the authorities will realise that by pushing
people into their last entrenchments, they are jeopardizing any prospect
of any democratic governance with the consequences that go with it. No
intimidation can deter or stop our democratic struggle for a change of
governance in Rwanda.

The UDF Inkingi once again calls on aid donors of Rwanda to use their
financial leverage by tying their aid to the respect of the human
fundamental civil and political Rights of Rwandans. We believe that
this is the only available peaceful weapon that will help avoid any
escalation of violence in Rwanda.

Done in London, on August 27, 2018

Justin Bahunga,
FDU-Inkingi Commissioner for External Relations and spokesperson.
Contacts: [email protected]; [email protected];
Phone: +44-7988-883-576