URGENT ALERT: WHERE ARE SANDRINE MALAYIKA AND SERGE KUBWIMANA?

We express grave concern over the disappearance of Sandrine Malayika and Serge Kubwimana, who have been missing since 5 March 2017, following their arrival at Kigali International Airport.

According to information received, both individuals were reportedly apprehended by men believed to be members of the Rwandan security services. They were taken away in two separate vehicles, raising serious concerns about the circumstances of their detention and their subsequent whereabouts.

Two days after their disappearance, neither individual has been located. Their families have searched police stations and detention facilities without success. No official information has been provided confirming whether they are being detained, where they are being held or whether they are safe.

The circumstances are deeply troubling. Two individuals were reportedly taken from an international airport by men appearing to act in an official security capacity, transported in separate vehicles and have not been seen by their families since.

GCRHR urgently calls upon the Rwanda National Police and the National Intelligence and Security Services to disclose the whereabouts of Sandrine Malayika and Serge Kubwimana.

If they are in state custody, the authorities must immediately acknowledge their detention, explain its legal basis, ensure their safety and allow them access to their families and legal representatives.

We further call upon the authorities to investigate the circumstances in which both individuals were taken from the airport, identify those responsible and establish where the two vehicles transported them.

Holding individuals in undisclosed locations, without acknowledging their detention or informing their families, raises serious concerns about arbitrary detention and possible enforced disappearance.

We urge diplomatic missions, international human rights organisations and the relevant United Nations human rights mechanisms to seek immediate clarification from the Rwandan authorities.

The families of Sandrine Malayika and Serge Kubwimana deserve to know where their loved ones are. Their safety and whereabouts must be established immediately.

No person should disappear after being taken into custody.