Rwanda Police Must Urgently Disclose the Whereabouts of Jean de Dieu Ihorahabona, Known as Jado

The Global Campaign for Rwandans' Human Rights demands that the Rwanda National Police urgently disclose the whereabouts of Jean de Dieu Ihorahabona, widely known as Jado, who has been missing since 1 February 2026, and guarantee his safety, dignity and right to due process.

A Father of Five, Taken by Men Claiming to Be Police

Jean de Dieu Ihorahabona, a father of five, was last seen in Kigali on 1 February 2026, when he was taken by men identifying themselves as police officers. He has not been produced before any court, no charges have been announced, and his family has received no official confirmation of where he is being held or of his condition.

No Charges, No Records, No Answers

More than three weeks on, his family has been left in anguish, moving between police stations and detention facilities without receiving any answer. An enforced disappearance of this kind is a serious violation under international human rights law. Every person deprived of liberty must be held in an official, recognised place of detention, must have access to a lawyer and to family, and must be brought promptly before a judge.

His Only Crime Is Speaking Out

Jado's only crime is speaking out against injustices he has faced for years, and against the forced evictions in Kangondo and Kibiraro that have left countless families without homes or compensation. Silence must never be met with disappearance. A state that punishes its critics by making them vanish abandons the rule of law entirely.

Our Demands

We call on the Rwandan authorities to:

• Immediately disclose the whereabouts of Jean de Dieu Ihorahabona and confirm his condition;
• Either charge him with a recognisable offence and guarantee him a fair, public trial before an independent court, or release him without delay;
• Grant him immediate access to his family, to a lawyer of his choice and to adequate medical care;
• Order an independent investigation into the circumstances of his taking, and hold those responsible accountable;
• End the practice of enforced disappearance and incommunicado detention in all its forms.

Enforced disappearance is not an internal matter. It engages the obligations of Rwanda under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the international covenants it has ratified. We call on the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and Rwanda's international partners to raise Jado's case without delay.

Until Jean de Dieu Ihorahabona is produced before a court or released, we will keep asking the question that his family asks every day: where is Jado?