Free Idamange Ryamugwiza

The Case

Yvonne Idamange Iryamugwiza is a Rwandan businesswoman, genocide survivor and government critic who used her YouTube channel, Idamange, to challenge President Kagame and his government. Her videos, viewed tens of thousands of times each, questioned the dictatorship, accused the state of instrumentalising the 1994 genocide while neglecting its survivors, and criticised the transformation of genocide memorials into tourist attractions. For this commentary, the Rwandan state made her one of its most high-profile prisoners.

The Arrest

In July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau arrested Idamange after she criticised the way the lockdown was enforced and urged farmers to bring their produce to market so that families left hungry by the restrictions could buy food. She was charged with inciting violence and insurrection, spreading rumours, degrading a genocide memorial, denigration of genocide survivors and assault. She had also filmed herself at the Nyamata genocide memorial, and her words there were treated as a crime.

The Trial

Her trial before the High Court Chamber for International and Cross-border Crimes began in early 2021. Idamange accused the court of bias and boycotted the hearings after her request to have the trial broadcast online was rejected. On 30 September 2021 the court convicted her on six counts. On 1 October 2021 she was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined the equivalent of about 2,000 US dollars. The prosecution had demanded 30 years.

Why It Matters

Idamange's conviction confirms a pattern the Global Campaign has documented again and again: in Rwanda, a YouTube channel is treated as a threat to national security. Human Rights Watch has warned of the growing number of Rwandans arrested or prosecuted simply for criticising the authorities online. The charges against Idamange criminalised political speech, criticism of memorial policy, and even practical advice to hungry farmers. A genocide survivor is now serving 15 years because her government could not tolerate her voice.

Our Demands

• The immediate and unconditional release of Yvonne Idamange Iryamugwiza.

• An end to the criminalisation of online criticism of the Rwandan government.

• Full respect for freedom of expression, including for survivors who question how the genocide is remembered.

• That international partners with influence in Kigali raise her case directly and publicly.

The Campaign

The Global Campaign for Rwandans' Human Rights joins the call: Free Idamange. We will keep her name and her case in the public eye until she is free.