Free Cyuma Hassan
The Case
Dieudonné Niyonsenga, known as Cyuma Hassan, is a Rwandan journalist and the founder of Ishema TV, a YouTube channel that reported on politics, human rights and the lives of the poor that the state prefers to keep invisible.
On 15 April 2020 he was arrested on his way to cover the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown, together with Ishema TV driver Fidele Komezusenge. The charges that followed, forgery of press cards and impersonating a journalist, were a cover from the beginning. His real offences were his reports: on alleged rape and looting by soldiers in Bannyahe, on the destruction of people's homes at the height of the pandemic, and on the injuries visible on the face of Kizito Mihigo at his funeral, which challenged the government's account that the singer took his own life.
A Trial That Speaks for Itself
In March 2021 a court acquitted him after eleven months of pre-trial detention, during which his family and lawyer were almost never allowed to see him. The prosecutors appealed. On 11 November 2021 the Kigali High Court convicted him and sentenced him to seven years in prison and a fine of five million Rwandan francs. Reporters Without Borders called the sentence absurd and arbitrary, and the Committee to Protect Journalists has documented his case in detail. In 2024 the courts rejected his request for a review of his case.
Torture Behind Bars
In January 2024 Cyuma Hassan told a Kigali court that he had been held in inhumane conditions in a hole and beaten repeatedly. He appeared before the judges with a head wound and told them his vision and hearing had been impaired. His family reported wounds on his body for which he received no medical attention. Prison officials have seized the documents he needs to prepare his defence, and Ishema TV has been taken offline.
Our Demands
The Global Campaign for Rwandans' Human Rights demands:
- The immediate and unconditional release of Dieudonné Niyonsenga, known as Cyuma Hassan.
- An end to the torture and ill-treatment he has suffered in detention, and proper medical care for the injuries he has reported to the courts.
- An end to the criminalisation of online journalism in Rwanda and to the persecution of journalists who report what the state wants hidden.
Free Cyuma Hassan. Free the press.
Take Action
Write to the President of Rwanda
Make your voice heard. Write directly to President Paul Kagame and ask him to act on our request. Your letter can help secure justice, freedom, and dignity for the victims of human rights violations in Rwanda.
Addressed to the Office of the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Kigali. Join others in calling for accountability and respect for human rights. You can also report abuse or request advocacy through us.