Rwanda: An opposition leader found dead

By on July 16, 2010
The Democratic Green Party, created a year ago, is mostly composed by defectors from the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the ruling party in Rwanda since 1994.

But the movement has never got its legalisation, which has prevented him from presenting a candidate for the presidential election on August 9. Very critical of the Paul Kagame regime, the Green Party clearly bothers the authorities. The founding leader of the Green Party had explained that the goal was to put an end to all the fears of Rwandans and bring down a system in which the one person’s ideas or a party are leading the country.
In recent months many argue that the Rwandan authorities’ radicalisation has not opened any space or opportunities to the opposition and has stifled the free speech. Journalists have become a target: one of them was killed last month. Several army senior officers have been placed under arrest. Former army chief of Staff in exile, General Kayumba, has just escaped recently from an assassination attempt, in South Africa.
Like Andre Kagwa Rwisereka, senior vice president of the Green Party, who had received death threats, was found dead near the Burundian border. The victim was publicly criticising the regime and has had many students who were used to visit his establishment.
This death comes a few weeks before the presidential election of August the 9th, adding more fears and suspicion to the already built up tension in the country.

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