Press Release
Rwandan Democracy Under SiegeAt a hearing held today on Capitol Hill, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House panel on Africa, and a distinguished group of experts on Africa policy shined a light on the withering democracy in Rwanda at the hands of President Paul Kagame. “In August 2017, Paul Kagame was elected with 99 percent of the vote,” said Smith who held his first hearing on Rwanda in 1996. “It is difficult to believe that even someone as widely admired as President Kagame has been could be that popular. Such suspicion is stoked by reports of vote irregularities and actions by the Rwandan government to restrain opposition activism and enact stringent controls on opposition activism, including legal restrictions on civil liberties and stringent controls on the free flow of information.” Click Here for Smith’s Full Statement. Kagame was first elected to the Presidency in 2000 after serving as Vice President and Defense Minister, and has been elected 3 times since and has never received less than 90% of the official vote. The U.S. State Department, which has been an observer to these elections, has noted procedural irregularities, media restrictions, a lack of transparency and attacks on opposition candidates. In reaction to these anti-democratic actions, as well as Rwandan support for rebel movements in neighboring states such as Burundi and the use of child soldiers, successive Congresses have enacted provisions that restrict certain types of U.S. military aid to Rwanda. “An example of why there is skepticism about the nature of free elections in Rwanda is the case of businesswoman Diane Rwigara, who ran as a critic of Kagame,” said Smith. “Days after she launched her campaign, nude photos allegedly of her were leaked onto the internet in an attempt to discredit her. She said she would not be intimidated and continued her campaign. On July 7th, the National Electoral Commission disqualified her and two other candidates on technical grounds, alleging that they had not collected enough valid signatures.” Robert Higiro, Coordinator for the U.S., Democracy in Rwanda Now, said, “Dissidents and real or perceived critics outside the country in neighboring Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, South Africa and Europe have been victims of attacks and threats. In connection with my testimony of 2015, the United States’ officials relocated me to the United States after learning that the government of Rwanda was attempting to kill me in Belgium.” Click Here for Higero’s Full Statement. David Himbara, Coordinator for Canada, Democracy in Rwanda Now, said, “The US State Department rightly condemned the August 2017 flawed elections that extended Kagame’s rule. This is not enough. The United States should do more than merely calling Kagame out on his repression of the Rwandan people. The US should cut off nonessential support to Kagame such as military aid.” Click Here for Himbara’s Full Statement. Adotei Akwei, Managing Director at Amesty International U.S., said, “The Rwandan government continues to suppress the independence and freedom of the media. Numerous journalists have been imprisoned, harassed and even killed, while many more have fled into exile over the years. In 2016, at least three journalists were briefly detained after investigating sensitive issues, such as corruption or possible suspicious deaths on the part of the Rwandan government. The government also impedes the work of NGOs in the country through excessive registration procedures.” Click Here for Akwei’s Full Statement. Mike Jobbins, Manager for Africa Programs at Search for Common Ground, said, “Civil society in general, and media in particular, remain a critical partner. Search will continue to leverage its Common Ground approach to strengthen the capacity of media and civil society to engage with the authorities and with the population in a constructive and inclusive manner. Search’s experience has shown that investing in promoting diversity in the media sector can yield positive results.” Click Here for Jobbins’ Full Statement. Donald Yamamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary of African Affairs, said, “The United States has a close but complex relationship with Rwanda. The country has striven to rebuild after the 1994 genocide in which more than 800,000 people were killed in the span of about 100 days. Over the past 23 years, Rwanda has made remarkable gains in recovering from this tragedy. At the same time, Rwanda’s record in the areas of human rights and democracy, while improved in some areas, remains a concern.” Click Here for Yamamoto’s Full Statement. Smith has previously held four hearings on Rwanda. The most recent, from May of 2015, is entitled “Developments in Rwanda.” ### |