From Exile to Prison to the UN
Human Rights Timeline
Track the major events in the struggle for human rights in Rwanda: the arrests, the trials, the disappearances, the deaths in custody and the moments when the world answered back. Filter by defender or event type, or search for a name.
Showing 43 events
2026
Sergeant Major Robert Kabera found beheaded in Uganda
Robert Kabera, a former Rwandan army sergeant major who fled into exile in Uganda and ran a YouTube channel exposing atrocities by the Rwandan regime, was found beheaded. We have many reasons to believe he was killed by Rwandan agents.
Trial of Victoire Ingabire opens in Kigali
More than a year after her re-arrest and after the Supreme Court rejected her challenge to her detention, the trial of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza opened in Kigali on subversion charges that rest entirely on peaceful speech and political association.
UN finds Ingabire's re-arrest arbitrary
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that the detention of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire is arbitrary and in violation of international law, and called for her immediate release and compensation.
Aimable Karasira dies in the state's hands
According to the Rwanda Correctional Service, Aimable Karasira died at Nyarugenge hospital on the very day he was due to walk free after five years behind bars. We do not accept the official account. A critic of the regime dying in the state's hands on the day of his release demands independent scrutiny.
Jean de Dieu Ihorahabona (Jado) taken from Kigali
Jean de Dieu Ihorahabona, known as Jado, was last seen in Kigali when men identifying themselves as police officers took him away. He has not been produced before any court, no charges have been announced, and the Rwanda National Police has not disclosed where he is held. His family has been left searching police stations and detention facilities without answers.
2025
Victoire Ingabire re-arrested
Rwandan police arrested Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza at her home in Kigali on subversion charges, years after her presidential pardon, alongside other members of her DALFA-Umurinzi party. Her only offence is her peaceful political opposition.
2024
UN declares detention of the nine arbitrary
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention examined the case of nine dissidents arrested for reading a book and ruled their detention arbitrary and in violation of international law, finding they were detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights. It called for their immediate release. The Rwandan government ignored the call.
2023
Paul Rusesabagina released and returned to exile
After more than two years of unjust detention, his sentence was commuted and he was released from prison, allowing him to reunite with his family abroad.
John Williams Ntwali killed in suspicious circumstances
Widely described as Rwanda's last independent journalist, John Williams Ntwali died in Kigali days after appearing in court, after being hit by a car in suspicious circumstances. Very few Rwandans believe it was an accident. We demand an independent, transparent and internationally supervised investigation.
2022
Aimable Karasira sentenced to seven years
Aimable Karasira was sentenced to seven years in prison after a political trial, punished for speaking to the many Rwandans, at home and in the diaspora, who listened to him.
2021
Nine activists arrested for reading a book
On the eve of Ingabire Day, Rwandan police began arresting nine people for reading and sharing "Blueprint for Revolution", a book on nonviolent resistance by Srdja Popovic. They faced sentences of up to life imprisonment and spent more than three years in pre-trial detention.
Yvonne Idamange sentenced to 15 years
After a trial she boycotted over alleged bias, the High Court convicted Yvonne Idamange on six counts and sentenced her to 15 years in prison and a fine of about 2,000 US dollars, for YouTube commentary questioning the government and its use of the 1994 genocide. The prosecution had demanded 30 years.
Paul Rusesabagina sentenced to 25 years
After a trial widely condemned as unfair, the founder of the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change was sentenced to 25 years in prison on terrorism charges.
Aimable Karasira arrested for his YouTube commentary
Lecturer and citizen journalist Aimable Karasira was arrested for his YouTube commentary on Rwandan politics: poverty, injustice, corruption and fear. His real offence was his audience.
Phocas Ndayizera sentenced to 10 years
Rwanda's High Court Chamber for International Crimes and Terrorism convicted journalist Phocas Ndayizera of conspiring to carry out terror acts and illegal use of explosives and sentenced him to 10 years' imprisonment. He and his co-accused said their confessions had been signed under torture, and the alleged case about his journalism was never presented in court.
Poet Innocent Bahati disappears
The poet Innocent Bahati left his home in Kigali to meet an unnamed person he had just spoken with on the phone, and was last seen that day in Nyanza district. He has not been seen since. PEN International and writers including Margaret Atwood have called for an investigation. His whereabouts remain unknown.
2020
Paul Rusesabagina seized in exile and taken to Kigali
The hotelier famous for saving lives during the 1994 genocide was intercepted in Dubai and flown to Kigali, where he was presented in custody and charged with terrorism offences.
Yvonne Idamange arrested over her online criticism
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau arrested Yvonne Idamange Iryamugwiza, a genocide survivor and government critic, after she criticised the enforcement of the COVID-19 lockdown and urged farmers to bring their produce to market. She was charged with inciting violence and insurrection, spreading rumours, degrading a genocide memorial and assault.
Journalist Cyuma Hassan arrested during the lockdown
Rwandan police arrested journalist Dieudonne Niyonsenga, known as Cyuma Hassan, and his driver Fidele Komezusenge as they set out to cover the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. His real offences were his Ishema TV reports on alleged rape and looting by soldiers and on the destruction of poor families' homes. He was later convicted on charges of forgery and impersonating a journalist.
Kizito Mihigo found dead in a police cell
Three days after being arrested near the border with Burundi, Kizito Mihigo was found dead in a police cell in Kigali. The Rwanda Investigation Bureau said he had taken his own life. Human Rights Watch said the circumstances strongly suggested he was killed in custody. No officer was ever held to account and the inquest findings were never made public.
2019
Anselme Mutuyimana found dead days after release
The FDU-Inkingi activist, who spent six years in prison for his opposition work, was found dead at the edge of the Gishwati forest with signs of strangulation, shortly after his release. No one has been held to account.
2018
Diane Rwigara acquitted after a year in prison
A court acquitted Diane Rwigara of inciting insurrection, along with her mother and sister, after more than a year of imprisonment. She had been prosecuted for nothing more than attempting to run for president.
Phocas Ndayizera arrested in Kigali
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau arrested freelance journalist Phocas Ndayizera, a contributor to the BBC's Kinyarwanda and Kirundi services, in Kigali. A RIB spokesperson later said publicly that he had been arrested while receiving explosives and was linked with terrorist groups.
Victoire Ingabire released by presidential pardon
After more than a thousand days in prison, opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was released by presidential pardon. Gospel singer Kizito Mihigo, imprisoned since 2014, was also pardoned during 2018. Neither freedom lasted: both would be targeted again.
Police Warn Noble Marara of Imminent Assassination Threat in Kent
Police visited Noble Marara at his home in Kent, United Kingdom, warning him that a foreign government posed an imminent threat to his life and urging him to increase security. Marara, a former bodyguard and driver of President Kagame who fled into exile in Britain, had just disclosed that his account of the regime was to be published as a downloadable book in Kinyarwanda. In 2011, Scotland Yard had already warned two other Rwandan exiles in the United Kingdom that a hit squad had been sent to kill them.
2017
Diane Rwigara arrested with her mother and sister
Diane Rwigara was arrested alongside her mother and sister on charges including inciting insurrection, after her attempt to stand for the presidency. Human rights organisations called the charges politically motivated.
Diane Rwigara barred from presidential ballot
Diane Rwigara, a critic of the ruling RPF, was disqualified from the presidential ballot after announcing her candidacy. Her family was subsequently targeted with a campaign of harassment.
Jean Damascene Habarugira disappears after a security summons
The FDU-Inkingi local representative in Ngoma district disappeared after being called to a meeting with a local security officer. Days later, his family was called to collect his body from Nyamata Hospital.
2016
African Court rules Rwanda violated Ingabire's rights
The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights found that Rwanda had violated Victoire Ingabire's right to freedom of expression and that her speech posed no imminent threat to public order. Rwanda later withdrew its declaration allowing citizens to bring cases before the Court.
Illuminée Iragena disappears in Kigali
The FDU-Inkingi activist went missing in Kigali and has never been seen since. Her family later reported that she had been tortured and killed in custody, but the police never confirmed what happened to her.
Illuminée Iragena forcibly disappeared in Kigali
Illuminée Iragena, a nurse and member of the unregistered opposition party FDU-Inkingi, disappeared on 26 March 2016 on her way to work at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali. Her family reported the disappearance to the police but never received an official response, and queries from Amnesty International and other organisations to the government went unanswered. Sources close to the case believe she was tortured and died in custody, but her fate has never been officially confirmed.
2014
Kizito Mihigo arrested over his songs
Rwanda's most beloved gospel singer was arrested after songs he had written were interpreted as critical of the regime. He was later sentenced to ten years in prison for conspiracy against the government.
Patrick Karegeya assassinated in Johannesburg
Rwanda's former intelligence chief, who became a fearless opposition leader in exile, was strangled to death in a Johannesburg hotel on New Year's Day 2014. More than a decade on, no one has been held to account.
2013
Supreme Court increases Ingabire's sentence to 15 years
The Supreme Court increased Victoire Ingabire's sentence from eight to fifteen years, drawing international criticism from human rights organisations.
Joel Mutabazi abducted in Kampala and handed to Rwanda
Armed men, some in Ugandan police uniforms, seized Rwandan refugee and former presidential bodyguard Joel Mutabazi from a protected safehouse in Kampala. Days later he was in Rwandan custody, in violation of the prohibition on refoulement.
2012
Victoire Ingabire sentenced to eight years
A High Court in Kigali sentenced opposition leader Victoire Ingabire to eight years in prison on charges including conspiracy against the government, following a trial widely condemned as political.
Théogène Turatsinze found dead in exile in Maputo
The former head of the Development Bank of Rwanda went missing in Maputo, Mozambique, and was found days later, tied up, in a river near the city, shortly after he was believed to be carrying a list of clandestine payments by top Rwandan officials.
2011
Charles Ingabire shot dead in Kampala
The founder and editor of Inyenyeri News, a Rwandan journalist in exile, was shot dead in the Ugandan capital. He was the first Rwandan journalist to be assassinated in exile.
Deo Mushayidi sentenced to life imprisonment
Deo Mushayidi was sentenced to life imprisonment after a politically motivated trial. His real offence was his opposition: he was punished for his opinions, not for any crime. He remains in prison.
2010
Victoire Ingabire returns from exile to run for president
Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza returned to Rwanda to stand for the presidency and register her FDU-Inkingi party. She was blocked from registering and arrested within months, beginning years of persecution for her peaceful opposition.
André Kagwa Rwisereka murdered near Butare
The deputy chairman of the Democratic Green Party was found murdered and partially beheaded near Butare, weeks before the 2010 presidential elections. The official inquiry into his killing never saw the light of day.
Jean-Léonard Rugambage assassinated in Kigali
The deputy editor of the banned Umuvugizi newspaper was shot dead outside his home in Kigali, hours after publishing an article linking Rwandan officials to the attempted murder of General Kayumba Nyamwasa in Johannesburg.
Deo Mushayidi seized in exile
Deo Mushayidi, leader of the PDP-Immana party and a longtime government critic, was seized in Burundi and forcibly returned to Rwanda, in violation of international law.