Rwanda: Editor of independent newspaper tried on criminal charges Published on Pambazuka News (https://www.pambazuka.org) Contributor [1] Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 02:00 IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community _________________________________________________________________ PRESS RELEASE/UPDATE - RWANDA 16 November 2004 Editor of independent newspaper tried on criminal charges SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York **Updates IFEX alert of 15 September 2004; for further information on previous targeting of "Umuseso", see alerts of 21 and 20 November 2003 and others; for information on the Mbonigaba case, see alerts of 3 March and 25 February 2003** (CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release: RWANDA: Independent newspaper editor tried on criminal charges New York, November 16, 2004 - The editor of Umuseso, a Rwandan language independent weekly, was tried today on criminal charges of defamation and "divisionism" in connection with an article that accused parliamentary Vice President Denis Polisi of plotting to seize power. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the trial, saying journalists should not be criminally prosecuted for reporting critically about government officials. A verdict is expected next week following the one-day trial of Editor Charles Kabonero, who is also director of the Rwanda Independent Media Group (RIMEG), the newspaper's owner. The prosecution asked for a prison sentence of four years and a fine of 300,000 Rwandan francs (about US$526), according to local journalists. Polisi filed a criminal complaint after Umuseso reported speculation about his political aspirations and divisions in the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front. Umuseso staff members say they were also harassed and threatened after the August article appeared, prompting Kabonero to go into hiding for about 10 days. "We are deeply disturbed by the unjustified threat of imprisonment that hangs over our colleague, Charles Kabonero," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "Governments should not use criminal laws to suppress critical reporting." Rwandan authorities have frequently targeted Umuseso, the country's sole independent newspaper. Robert Sebufirira, former managing editor of the newspaper, and Elly Macdowell Kalisa, the former deputy editor, fled Rwanda in February after getting a series of death threats they believe came from senior members of the government security services. The threats followed articles in Umuseso on alleged corruption by senior officials. Another former editor, Ismail Mbonigaba, was imprisoned for more than a month in January 2003 and charged with "inciting division and discrimination" for reporting that former Prime Minister Faustin Twagarimungu would run against President Paul Kagame in elections. Mbonigaba was never tried. In May 2001, John Mugabi, editor of English language Page 1 of 2
Rwanda: Editor of independent newspaper tried on criminal charges Published on Pambazuka News (https://www.pambazuka.org) newspaper Rwanda Newsline, which gave rise to Umuseso, sought asylum abroad after being threatened over articles on the Rwandan military's resource exploitation in eastern Congo. For further information, contact Africa Program Coordinator Julia Crawford (x112) or Research Associate Adam Posluns at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail:
[email protected] [2], Internet: http://www.cpj.org/ [3] The information contained in this press release/update is the sole responsibility of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit CPJ. _________________________________________________________________ DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE 489 College Street, Suite 403,Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879 alerts e-mail:
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[email protected] [5] Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/ [6] _________________________________________________________________ Categories: Media & freedom of expression [7] Issue Number: 183 [8] (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&appId=1465091963738031&version=v2.0"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Article-Summary: The editor of Umuseso, a Rwandan language independent weekly, was tried today on criminal charges of defamation and "divisionism" in connection with an article that accused parliamentary Vice President Denis Polisi of plotting to seize power. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the trial, saying journalists should not be criminally prosecuted for reporting critically about government officials. Category: Resources [9] Oldurl: http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category.php/media/25678 [10] Country: Rwanda [11] Source URL: https://www.pambazuka.org/node/26018 Links: [1] https://www.pambazuka.org/author/contributor [2] mailto:
[email protected] [3] http://www.cpj.org/ [4] mailto:
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[email protected] [6] http://www.ifex.org/ [7] https://www.pambazuka.org/taxonomy/term/3299 [8] https://www.pambazuka.org/article-issue/183 [9] https://www.pambazuka.org/taxonomy/term/3277 [10] http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category.php/media/25678 [11] https://www.pambazuka.org/taxonomy/term/3279
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