The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Rwanda, and particularly the case of Victoire Ingabire.
The resolution was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ECR, GUE/NGL, Greens/ALE and EFDD groups.
Parliament recalled that on 30 October 2012 Victoire Ingabire, President of the Unified Democratic Forces (UDF), was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for conspiracy to harm the authorities using terrorism, and for minimising the 1994 genocide, on the basis of relations with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
However, many human rights organisations have denounced the first-instance trial of Victoire Ingabire, as serious irregularities were observed and she was treated unfairly. Parliament recalled that on 13 September 2012, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza was nominated, together with two other Rwandan political figures, Bernard Ntaganda and Deogratias Mushyayidi, for the European Parliaments Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2012.
In this context, Parliament strongly condemned politically motivated trials, the prosecution of political opponents and the prejudging of the outcome of the trial. Noting that in 2015 Ms Ingabire appealed to the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, accusing the Rwandan Government of violating her rights, Parliament urged the Rwandan authorities to ensure that Victoire Ingabires appeal process is fair and meets the standards set under Rwandan and international law.
It also condemned any acts of intimidation, arrests, detentions and prosecutions of opposition party leaders, members and activists as well as journalists and other perceived critics of the Rwandan Government, solely for expressing their views. Members urged the Rwandan authorities to:
- release all individuals and other activists detained or convicted solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression;
- ensure peaceful, credible and transparent elections in 2017;
- implement the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (2014);
- proceed with the review of its declaration allowing individuals and NGOs to file complaints with the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights and to restore and reintroduce it.
Members called for the EU and its international partners to continue supporting the people of Rwanda in their work to build peace and stability in the country. For its part, the Commission was asked to evaluate EU support to Rwandan government institutions on a regular basis, in order to ensure that this support fully promotes human rights, and freedom of expression and association.