Diane Rwigara
Businesswoman and women's rights activist
Targeted and imprisoned for challenging the presidency in 2017Independent presidential candidate barred from the 2017 ballot, arrested alongside her family, and subjected to a campaign of intimidation. Her treatment laid bare the emptiness of Rwanda's political space.
Diane Rwigara is a businesswoman and women's rights activist who announced her candidacy for the Rwandan presidency in 2017 as an independent. Her candidacy papers were rejected on technical grounds. Nude images, widely reported to be doctored, were circulated online to discredit her. Her family's business was pursued by the tax authority. And then she was arrested.
In September 2017 she was detained alongside her mother and sister, charged with inciting insurrection and forgery, facing decades in prison for the crime of wanting to compete for power in her own country. In December 2018 a court acquitted her, but she was rearrested in the courtroom and charged again, before finally being released.
Her treatment laid bare the emptiness of Rwanda's political space, where candidates who might genuinely contest the presidency are disqualified, harassed or imprisoned. She remains a symbol of the struggle for a Rwanda where citizens can choose their leaders without fear of prison.
History
2017
Announces her independent candidacy for the presidency; her candidacy papers are rejected on technical grounds.
September 2017
Arrested alongside her mother and sister, charged with inciting insurrection and forgery.
December 2018
Acquitted by a court, rearrested in the courtroom and charged again, then finally released.
Campaigns & Statements
Our campaigns, statements and reports connected to Diane Rwigara.
Our Statement on the Arrest of Presidential Candidate Diane Rwigara
The Global Campaign for Rwandans' Human Rights strongly condemns the arrest of Diane Rwigara, the independent presidential candidate barred from the August 2017 election, on charges of inciting insurrection and forgery. We demand her immediate release and the release of her family members detained with her.
Rwanda Police Should Free Diane Rwigara and Her Family Immediately
Global Campaign for Rwandans' Human Rights is urging the Rwanda Police to release Diane Rwigara and members of her family immediately, after they were taken away and held at an undisclosed location.