Rwanda has undergone a miraculous transformation since the end of the civil war and subsequent genocide more than 30 years ago and much of the credit goes to President Paul Kagame. Yet, what often goes unnoticed is the extent to which President Kagame has stamped out dissent and imprisoned many of his critics, leaving behind a legacy of ferocious authoritarianism.
Since he was first elected in 2003, President Kagame has never failed to get less than 93% of the popular vote. This phenomenal, consistent success could be attributed to his popularity, although more likely is a result of the imprisonment and barring of opposition figures year after year.
This is exactly what happened to Diane Rwigara, a businesswoman who in May 2017 announced that she would run in the upcoming presidential election. Within 72 hours of this announcement nude photos of her were leaked on social media. The government subsequently barred her from running, claiming she did not gather enough signatures. Soon after she was disqualified, Diane began speaking out against the various human rights abuses perpetuated by the Rwandan government. In August 2017, Diane and her mother Adeline and were arrested on charges of tax evasion and forgery. They were released, but arrested a couple weeks later when Diane was charged with offenses against state security.
Freedom Now and Dechert LLP filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Diane and her mother in September 2018. Days later, the two women were released on bail. In order to keep pressure on the Rwandan government, Freedom Now recruited Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) to act as Diane’s congressional advocate through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s Defending Freedoms Project. On November 30, 2018, Rep. Bonamici delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of Diane. On December 4, 2018, the Lantos Human Rights Commission held a briefing on human rights in Rwanda at which Freedom Now Legal Director Kate Barth delivered testimony. The briefing and the mounting pressure were covered by major media outlets, including CNN.
Two days after the briefing, Diane and Adeline were acquitted of all charges and released.
Diane continues to advocate for human rights and the release of political prisoners in Rwanda. In 2024, she announced her candidacy for president. She was once again barred, allegedly for not gathering enough signatures.