RWANDA RULED BY A HYPOCRITE

PRESIDENT Paul Kagame has said that the sentencing of Umurabyo editor to 17 years in jail is not only harsh but also “reflects badly on the country” and his leadership. In an interview with Uganda’s The Independent magazine published on November 10, the president was asked whether the sentencing of Agnes Uwimana, editor of Umurabyo newspaper did not reflect badly on him as the president, he responded, “It also reflects badly on the country”.

While emphasizing the importance of rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, the president further told The Independent “…I wish they had asked me I would have even forgiven such a person. First of all it doesn’t affect me either as a person or as president. I would not wish to have any journalist or anyone for that matter to be jailed for 17 years simply because they criticised me”.

The two were convicted in February 2010 for having endangered national security and insulted the president in a series of articles published in their journal, Umurabyo. In the articles, they criticised President Kagame's employment and agricultural policies and questioned why he was continuing to work with high-ranking officials who had been involved in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. They are also accused of having denied the Rwandan genocide by writing that Rwandans were killing Rwandans - thereby contradicting the official doctrine. 

As it is well know, this is the same president who makes a call to the judges, before handing out judgment to the accused. Basically he is the man in charge of the judicial system, a man  with a final-say to such cases. His double standards leave Rwandans in darkness as well as backwards in developing  themselves mentally, physical and psychological.

In her trial, Ingabire Victory, who is accused of inciting Genocide Ideology maintains that the so-called "18/2008 laws" governing genocide ideology are so abstract that even legal experts don't understand their meaning and scope.

The continued injustice from Paul Kagame’s regime has left bad image for the country as a whole.  Whether Rwandese should sit and let him abuse their rights so badly, remains to be seen.

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