KIGALI, Rwanda — Amnesty International has urged Rwandan authorities to free opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, who has spent the past three months in detention after being accused of conspiring against the government.
Ingabire, president of the unregistered party Development and Liberty for All (DALFA-Umurinzi), was arrested at her Kigali home on 19 June. The Rwanda Investigations Bureau said her detention was linked to a case involving nine others—eight DALFA members and journalist Théoneste Nsengimana—who were arrested in 2021 and accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
Authorities have charged Ingabire with “establishing or joining a criminal organisation, conspiring to commit crimes against the government, and inciting unrest.” She denies all allegations. If convicted, she could face life imprisonment.
The prosecution has pointed to recordings and the testimony of a former aide as evidence, claiming Ingabire discussed non-violent forms of resistance with the group. In July, a court denied her bail, calling her a flight risk.
“Three months since the arrest of Victoire Ingabire and almost four years since the arrest of nine others, eight of whom are members of Ingabire’s unregistered political party, Rwandan authorities continue to send a clear message that political opposition in the country will not be tolerated,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
A History of Confrontation
Ingabire’s political journey has long been fraught. She returned to Rwanda from the Netherlands in 2010 hoping to contest presidential elections but was barred from standing. That same year, she was jailed on charges that included “divisionism” and served eight years before being pardoned in 2018.
Her release came with restrictions, including monthly check-ins with prosecutors and limits on foreign travel. In 2017, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights ruled that Rwanda had violated her rights to free expression and a fair trial.
The nine others linked to Ingabire remain in detention, awaiting trial. Prosecutors are seeking sentences ranging from 20 years to life, accusing them of organising a workshop on peaceful resistance inspired by the writings of activist Srda Popovic. Amnesty International argues that the charges have no legal basis and contravene Rwanda’s Constitution and international human rights treaties.
Wider Crackdown
This latest arrest comes against the backdrop of a wider clampdown on dissent. On 10 September, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Rwanda’s treatment of opposition groups, journalists, and civil society. The resolution highlighted a pattern of arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and attacks on press freedom.
Since 2017, at least five members of Ingabire’s former party, FDU-Inkingi, have died or vanished under unexplained circumstances. Rights groups say the arrests are part of a broader effort to silence critics of President Paul Kagame’s government.
“Peaceful dissent and the right to freedom of association should not be criminalised,” Chagutah said. “Authorities must immediately end the authoritarian practices, and ensure that media freedom and human rights are respected without fear of reprisals.”
For now, Ingabire remains behind bars, awaiting trial in a country where opposition voices rarely find room to breathe. Her case has once again raised questions about Rwanda’s record on democracy and freedoms, even as the government continues to defend its actions as necessary for national stability.
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