Nine individuals appeared in a Rwandan court on Friday facing charges, including spreading false information, which could lead to prison sentences of up to 15 years.
Rwanda, under President Paul Kagame’s three-decade rule, has a history of suppressing political dissent and curtailing freedom of speech. The group was arrested in October 2021 after allegedly distributing the book Blueprint for Revolution by Serbian author Srdja Popovic, which promotes non-violent resistance against authoritarianism.
Dressed in pink prison attire, the detainees attended a session at Kigali’s High Court in Nyamirambo. They were accused of spreading false information or propaganda with the intent to create a hostile international view against the Rwandan government. Other charges include participating in a criminal association and conspiring against the ruling power or the president.
The prosecution is seeking 15-year sentences for seven detainees and 10 years for the remaining two. However, the judge declared the pre-trial hearing private, ordering the removal of reporters, relatives, and opposition supporters from the courtroom.
A source at the hearing revealed that all nine detainees applied for bail, while the prosecution argued for their continued detention, claiming they were “flight risks.” Among those on trial was Theoneste Nsengimana, a YouTube content creator known for his channel Umubavu TV, which often criticised the government. Nsengimana requested a separate trial, stating that he was not affiliated with opposition leader Victoire Ingabire’s political group, unlike the other detainees.
The judge is expected to rule on Nsengimana’s request on October 25, with the other eight defendants scheduled to reappear in court in November. The detainees’ lawyer, Gatera Gashabana, declined to comment after the hearing.
In April, the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that their arrests violated their rights and amounted to “deprivation of liberty.” The case follows a recent Human Rights Watch report alleging serious abuses in Rwandan jails, which the Rwandan government dismissed.