20 years after genocide, Rwanda safe, clean, undemocratic
“Do not forget the genocide,” said the voice of a state broadcast announcer in Kigali crackling through a cheap car radio, referring to the organized slaughter 20 years ago of more than 10 percent of the population. “We are all one now,” he said, speaking in Rwanda’s common language of Kinyarwanda, and meaning that Rwandans…
Rwandan exiled journalist comes out of hiding
I must have received at least a dozen communications from worried friends and colleagues, asking the whereabouts of the chief editor of the highly critical Rwandan website, Umuvugizi. By mid-January, no one had heard from John Bosco Gasasira, nothing new had been published on Umuvugizi since January 11, and his cell phones were switched off.…
Rwanda: Exiled editor sentenced for ‘insulting’ president
New York, June 6, 2011–The Supreme Court sentenced the exiled online editor of Umuvugizi, Jean Bosco Gasasira, on Friday to a two year and six month term in prison. Gasasira received this sentence for allegedly insulting Rwanda’s president and inciting civil disobedience, local journalists told CPJ. Gasasira believes the new sentence may stem from an…
Censored in Rwanda, editors work from exile
Though it has been a dark year for Rwanda’s press, it has also been a year of resistance and turning to a new sort of reporting–from exile. Ever since Rwandan authorities began cracking down on the nation’s independent press before the presidential elections in August, the space for critical reporting has been dissipating.
Rwanda news Web site blocked after paper suspended
New York, June 11, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Rwandan authorities today to provide information as to why the Web site of newspaper Umuvugizi is inaccessible in the run-up to August presidential elections. The state-run Rwanda News Agency reported on June 3 that the Web site of Umuvugizi, a leading private paper known for its critical coverage of the government, could…
Rwanda’s Kagame tries to link bombs to critical press
Journalists in Kigali are on tenterhooks after President Paul Kagame, left, made new accusations of their supposed involvement in a bomb attack in Rwanda. Just months before Rwanda’s presidential elections, Kigali was recently hit by two grenade attacks that killed two people and injured 30 others, according to news reports.
Attacks on the Press in 2008: Rwanda
On paper, Rwanda had more private newspapers and radio stations than at any point in its history. In practice, independent news coverage was minimal due to business woes and government intimidation. One critical editor was forced to flee the country, and a second was deported. Legislation pending in late year would stiffen accreditation requirements and…
Rwanda’s press under increasing intimidation
Dear Mr. President: As an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to upholding the principles of press freedom worldwide, we would like to express our concern about the increasing intimidation by your government of Rwanda’s independent media in the run-up to parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year.