Rwanda: Group Writes Commonwealth, Makes Demands

By Development Diaries
June 10, 2022

A group of 24 civil society organisation (CSOs), including Botswana Watch Organisation and Human Rights Concern Eritrea (HRCE), has called on the Commonwealth to urge the government of Rwanda to respect and promote human rights in the country.

The group, which also includes African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS), Protection International Africa, Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement that the ‘silence’ of the Commonwealth on Rwanda’s human rights record risks undermining the organisation’s human rights mandate, as well as its integrity and credibility.

Rwanda is scheduled to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in June 2022 in its capital, Kigali.

‘Of further and particular concern are the relentless harassment, attacks and threats that independent civil society and the media in Rwanda consistently face, which contravene international human rights obligations, particularly those relating to the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly’, the statement read.

‘The Rwandan government consistently fails to conduct effective investigations into allegations of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, deaths in custody, arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, and ensure accountability.

‘Notably, authorities have failed to conduct a credible investigation and ensure accountability for the suspicious death in police custody of well-known activist and singer Kizito Mihigo’.

The group also called on the Commonwealth governments to press Rwandan authorities, ahead of and during CHOGM, to agree to close Gikondo transit centre and commit to ensuring that no detentions of poor or marginalised people will take place ahead of this or other such meetings.

Other demands include dropping all charges against those in detention solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, and creation of an enabling environment for civil society, activists, bloggers and journalists to freely express their views, online or offline, without fear of consequences.

Last year, AI noted numerous violations in the pre-trial period that impacted the sentencing of a Rwandan opposition leader, Paul Rusesabagina, to 25 years in prison.

Freedom House also ranked Rwanda as ‘not free’ in its 2022 Freedom in the World report on civil liberties and political rights, with the East African country earning 22 points out of a possible 100.