Charles Ntakirutinka, a former Rwandan minister and prisoner of conscience, was released on Thursday after serving a decade's jail term following an unfair trial.
Considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, Ntakirutinka was arrested in April 2002, as part of a crackdown before the 2003 presidential elections, the first elections after the 1994 genocide. After serving as a minister in the post-genocide government, he launched a new political party, the Democratic Party for Renewal (PDR-Ubuyanja) in 2001 with former President Pasteur Bizimungu.
After an unfair trial in 2004, Ntakirutinka was convicted of "inciting civil disobedience" and "association with criminal elements". The prosecution claimed he had organized clandestine meetings, along with his party colleagues, to disturb public order, provoke civil conflict and target certain government authorities for assassination.
The trial fell short of international fair trial standards. It lasted just 12 days, despite the gravity of the charges and the number of co-accused. The defendants were only allowed to present a limited number of witnesses. The trial was further marred by lack of corroborating evidence against the defendants.
Prosecution witnesses provided contradictory testimony. Some of their statements appeared to have been made under duress or torture. One prosecution witness told the court that he had lied to the police and prosecution out of fear. The judges refused to ask sufficient questions to prosecution witnesses, as requested by the defense.
"Ten years after Ntakirutinka was jailed, political opponents and journalists still spend years in prison for speaking out," said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International's Africa Director. He urged the Rwandan government to put "promises to respect freedom of expression and association into practice".
Amnesty recalled that the months leading up to the August 2010 presidential elections, which President Kagame won with 93 per cent of the vote, were marked by a crackdown on freedom of expression and association. New opposition parties were prevented from contesting the elections.
Bernard Ntaganda, president of PS-Imberakuri, was sentenced to four years imprisonment in February 2011 for holding public speeches criticizing government policies ahead of the 2010 elections.
The trial of Victoire Ingabire, leader of the United Democratic Forces (FDU-Inkingi), is on-going.
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