London, 06 Aug-(ANA)-Amnesty International has condemned attacks on politicians and journalists in the run up to the presidential election on August 9.
In a statement, the human rights organization called on the government to ensure the poll is held in an atmosphere where Rwandans can freely express their views.
The murder of a journalist and an opposition politician – both critical of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) - in late June and mid-July has created a climate of repression likely to inhibit freedom of expression ahead of the vote, Amnesty said.
On 14 July, André Kagwa Rwisereka, the vice president of the opposition Democratic Green Party, was found dead in Butare, southern Rwanda. Amnesty International said it has obtained photographs that show that his head was severed from his body.
Rwisereka, who left the RPF to create the Green Party, had reportedly been concerned for his security in the weeks before his murder. Other Green Party members said they had also received threats .
Jean-Leonard Rugambage, a journalist working for the Umuvugizi newspaper, was shot dead on June 24 outside his home in the capital, Kigali. Rugambage had been investigating the shooting in South Africa of the exiled former general, Kayumba Nyamwasa. On the day of his murder, Umuvugizi published a story alleging that Rwandan intelligence officials were linked to Nyamwasa’s shooting.
Two suspects have been arrested for Rugambage’s murder and are currently awaiting trial. (ANA)
UK/Houthis