(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 29 July 2002 letter to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, CPJ expressed deep concern about the government’s continued harassment of independent journalists. On 23 July, Robert Sebufirira, Elly MacDowell Kalisa and Emmanuel Munyaneza, all journalists with the independent weekly “Umuseso”, were sentenced to 30 days of “preventative detention” by a court in […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 29 July 2002 letter to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, CPJ expressed deep concern about the government’s continued harassment of independent journalists.
On 23 July, Robert Sebufirira, Elly MacDowell Kalisa and Emmanuel Munyaneza, all journalists with the independent weekly “Umuseso”, were sentenced to 30 days of “preventative detention” by a court in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. They are currently in the city’s central prison.
The charges stem from a 17 July incident that took place at Bar Addis Ethiopian in the Kiyovu district of Kigali. Sebufirira, Kalisa and Munyaneza arrived at the establishment after work and found a crowd gathered outside. When they went to investigate, they learned that the proprietor of the bar had called the police to deal with a rowdy patron who then attempted to resist arrest once the police arrived.
The patron identified himself as a member of the military and claimed that civilian police did not have the authority to arrest him. A fistfight ensued between the police and the patron, and some of the bystanders reportedly started shouting at the journalists to take note of the police and the soldier’s conduct and make sure to report it in the newspaper.
The military police arrived soon after and promptly arrested the journalists, as well as the patron who had earlier fought the civilian police. The journalists were taken into custody and charged with assault, battery, and insulting a police officer. They have been in detention since 17 July.
Several eyewitness accounts indicate that the journalists were not involved in any physical confrontation and were simply observers. As Rwanda’s only independent, Kinyarwanda-language publication, “Umuseso” has consistently criticized the president’s regime and has written extensively about police misconduct. According to CPJ sources in Kigali, evidence suggests that the spurious charges against the journalists are an attempt to prevent the newspaper from revealing possible police misconduct.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– condemning such attacks on the independent press
– urging him to ensure that independent media outlets are not harassed and to allow journalists to practice their profession without fear of reprisal
– calling on him to ensure that members of the police and the military respect the media’s right to publish critical stories about their conduct
– requesting that he do everything within his power to see that Sebufirira, Kalisa and Munyaneza are released
Appeals To
President Paul Kagame
Office of the President
Urugwiro Village
P.O. Box 15
Kigali, Rwanda
Fax: 250 84390
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
