Rwanda: Kizito Mihigo is a political prisoner

By Sixbert Musangamfura

Secretary General

FDU - MN - INKUBIRI

Lyon, 05th March 2015

Our political organisation, FDU - National Movement - INKUBIRI has followed with concern the political trial of genocide survivors, namely the Rwandan musician artist Kizito Mihigo, the journalist Cassien Ntamuhanga, Jean Paul Dukuzumuremyi and student Agnes Niyibizi. On 27 February 2015, the Kigali High Court found three of them guilty of forming a criminal group and conspiracy to murder President Paul Kagame or other dignitaries. They were handed sentences of 10, 25 and 30 years in prison.

This kangaroo trial was initiated after the artist, a genocide survivor, revealed a very artistic and popular music-video entitled “Igisobanuro cy'urupfu”, which translates “the meaning of death”, advocating the non discrimination of our dead and the memory of victims of both genocide against Tutsi and crimes against humanity against Hutu. This song irritated deniers of crimes against humanity committed against Hutu population by some leaders of the ruling RPF.

The hefty sentences came in a spree of suspicious deaths of people in Rwanda: the mystery of dead bodies from Rwanda found floating in the Rweru lake in 2014  is still calling for investigations; Dr. Emmanuel Gasakure, from the University medical hospital and former personal doctor for President Paul Kagame was executed by a policeman in police custody on 25 February 2015; the prominent businessman Assinapol Rwigara lost his life in a suspicious tragic road accident on 05 February 2015, etc.

These extra-judicial killings and sentences that are obviously politically motivated are unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

FDU - National Movement - INKUBIRI expresses its keen sympathy for all political prisoners in Rwanda, for the families and victims of politically motivated assassinations and for all those suffering from the iron fist of the  current dictatorship.