No fewer than 2,140 prisoners including opposition leader Victoire Ingabire and musician Kizito Mihigo, have been released from jail. Deutsche Welle reports
Victoire Ingabire, musician Kizito Mihigo and 2,138 others were released in a surprise move today following a cabinet meeting on Friday when a presidential “mercy” order was approved.
Both Ingabire and Mihigo had made requests for clemency in June
The opposition, ethnic Hutu leader, Ingabire has been in jail since 2010 when she returned from exile in the Netherlands to run for president.
she was arrested and charged with terrorism and treason. She was given a ten year sentence for “genocide ideology” and “divisionism” after she raised questions over the 1994 genocide of mostly Tutsi people which left 800,000 people dead.
Mihigo was arrested in 2015 and jailed for 10 years on charges of conspiracy to murder the president.
Ingabire while leaving Mageragere Prison in Kigali said “I thank the president who gave me this liberation This is the beginning of the opening of political space in Rwanda, I hope so.”
While calling on President Paul Kagame to release other political prisoners, Ingabire said ” Hundreds more are believed to be behind bars, including Diane Rwigara whose attempt to stand in last year’s elections was thwarted over allegations she forged signatures on her nomination papers. She was then charged with inciting insurrection against the state.
Deutsche Welle https://m.dw.com
