Kagame crackdown on opposition

Since taking power in Rwanda in a bloody war in July 1994, Dictator General Paul Kagame has barred the opposition from participating in Rwandan politics. He has used his security services machinery to crush any opposing voice. He has also used the government-controll ed judicial system to hunt down and prosecute any person opposed to his rule. Government-controll ed news media like New times have been in forefront in scuttling the opposition labeled falsely as revisionists or genocide deniers.



This already bad situation has further deteriorated since Mrs Ingabire the Chairwoman of the United Democratic forces (FDU) decided last month to return to Rwanda to challenge Kagame in the up coming election. Since her arrival Mrs Ingabire has been a subject of a media lynching led by the New times. She has been called uprooted negationist , revisionist, anti-state opponent.



On Feb. 3, 2010, thing turned even worse when Ms ingabire and his assistant was attacked and beaten at day light by members of the Directorate of Military Intergency (DMI). Her ID she received the previous day as well as her Passport were all stolen by the assailants. The attack took place at the office of the Mayoral office in Kinyinya where Mrs. Ingabire has been asked to report. Local police officers were watching over the beating but did want to intervene.



After the attack Ms ingabire was admitted to the King fayical hospital together with some of his team. One of member of the team is reported missing.



On February 6, 2010, Mr. Ntawangundi was arrested at his lodge by special police forces and put in prison. His arrest follows a publication by the same New times the previous day accusing him of being a Gacaca fugitive. He is being accused of killing people at a Gitwe school in 1994 while he was out of the Country. His arrest again clearly demonstrates that the Rwandan judicial system is a sham. It continues to practice arbitral arrests following government orders, prosecutes people based on fabricated evidences propagated by pro-government cynical news media, all this for political motives.



Stealing her ID and her Passport, is tactic to prevent Mrs Ingabire from registering her party for the coming election, making her a defacto disqualified candidate. Under the pressure from the British Embassy, Kagame decided to give her back the passport and ID. At the same day he declared Ingabire unlawful candidate setting the stage for the ban of her party FDU.



This physical attack, arbitral arrests, political intimidation and harassment clearly show that Kagame will nether accept a free and fair election in Rwanda . He will continue to use his secret service personnel to harass and hunt down his opponents and the government controlled media to admonish them. He will resort to all means including intimidation, lynching and killing to silence any voice opposing him as he has been doing for more than 17 years. Time is overdue to stop barbarism, return humanity and civility in Rwandan politics.





Such physical attack against a woman whose only aspiration is to instigate positive change through democracy and all roadblocks being put on her way by General Kagame should be condemned by everybody who thinks free and fair election is the only way Rwandan people can elect a government they trust and bring back trust among all Rwandans.