(RSF/IFEX) – On 3 August 2006, Rwanda’s highest court upheld a suspended sentence of one year in prison and a fine of one million Rwandan francs (approx. 1,400 euros) imposed against newspaper editor Charles Kabonero for “public insult” stemming from a series of analytical articles criticising the way the government operated. However, the court quashed […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 3 August 2006, Rwanda’s highest court upheld a suspended sentence of one year in prison and a fine of one million Rwandan francs (approx. 1,400 euros) imposed against newspaper editor Charles Kabonero for “public insult” stemming from a series of analytical articles criticising the way the government operated. However, the court quashed his conviction on charges of libel and “divisionism,” Reporters Without Borders has learned.
The ruling was issued by the High Court of the Republic of Rwanda. Kabonero is the editor of the independent weekly “Umuseso”.
“The judicial authorities have finally recognised that Kabonero did not libel parliamentary deputy speaker Denis Polisi and was not guilty of ‘divisionism,’ a very serious crime in Rwanda,” Reporters Without Borders said.
“But he has been given a heavy sentence for simply questioning the political ambitions of senior officials and examining the networks of influence within the government,” the organisation continued. “This shows that Rwanda, despite the government’s attempts to make us believe otherwise, is still hamstrung by taboos. If a newspaper fails to sing the government’s praises, the least sign of boldness brings dire consequences.”
Kabonero was the target of a vicious smear campaign in April, especially in the fortnightly “Focus”, which used a forged e-mail message to accuse him of conspiring with Lt. Abdul Ruzibiza, a former officer in the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front’s (FPR) special services, to launch a wave of bombings in Kigali and bring down the government. Although the message published in “Focus” was a crude forgery, Reporters Without Borders investigated the allegations and found them to be baseless.
