Political Censorship in Rwanda Limits Chances for Representation
Image courtesy of Dieuvain Musaghi via Unsplash
As thousands of Rwandan refugees returned home after fleeing the Rwandan genocide, the film Hotel Rwanda took over screens worldwide in 2004, garnering numerous award nominations and millions in profit. The film brought into light the story of over a thousand Tutsi refugees fighting for safety within Rwanda. It was centered around a hotel manager who risked his life to protect those fleeing violence. The film raised awareness globally of the truth of the story Hotel Rwanda shared with viewers. Paul Rusesabagina, a Rwandan human rights activist, was the hotel manager of Hôtel des Mille Collines and was of the many heroes who were incremental for the protection of communities during the peak of the Rwandan genocide. The film played a vital role in recognizing the efforts of Rusesabagina and, through the Rwandan government’s response to Rusesabagina's political stances, highlighted the issue of political censorship in Rwanda.
In the early days of Rwanda’s censorship, the Interahamwe militia was created under the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (NRMDD) in 1994, which initially appeared to be a legitimate paramilitary organization led by the president of Rwanda. However, this legitimacy quickly fell as the Interahamwe militia began to target Tusti civilians and Hutu political opposition living in communities across Rwanda, killing over 800,000 people and displacing XXX people. Grouped under the NRMDD, Robert Kajuga, a prominent Rwandan figure who amplified the damaging rhetoric against Tusti communities in Rwanda, led the Interahamwe militia.
This mobilization of the Interahamwe militia instigated by the Rwandan government has occurred many times in the past for various political and social campaigns. This government involvement has continued in forms of censorship seen today. The film Hotel Rwanda describes the devastation many Rwandan communities experienced [that the government now tries to hide]. There is a continued lack of representation of the Tusti people within political spaces, furthering the polarization between Tusi and Hutu communities. In addition to the presence of press censorship and imprisonment of opposition government officials, Rusesabagina’s story is a strong case highlighting the realities of censorship and oppression of political and human rights advocacy from the Rwandan government.
After advocating for human rights and being awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts in protecting refugees throughout the 2000s, Rusesabagina was seen as a political opposition in the eyes of the Rwandan government. After the release of Hotel Rwanda and Rusesabagina’s continued work in human rights within Rwandan communities, Rusesabagina became a target of the current political party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), given his open opposition to the RPF, and was declared missing in August 2020. A few days later, an announcement released by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau stated that Rusesabagina was in their custody and awaiting trial for alleged terrorism charges. While this announcement was unexpected, Rwanda’s history of misleading prominent political leaders and influential figures in opposition to the current political party has been a pattern and why many opposition party leaders have fled Rwanda. Political leaders risk their lives by speaking out against the RPF and demonstrating basic political opposition.
In Rusesabagina’s case, he was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism charges, despite having evidence questioning the validity of the charges. Though Rusesabagina was recently released from prison because of United States foreign intervention and coordination with the Rwandan government, this is not a reality that many imprisoned in Rwanda can align with. The imprisonment of political opposition and outspoken critics has become a norm within Rwanda as sentences have become more politically motivated. Though Rwanda allows for opposition parties within its government and politics, it is practically impossible to be in opposition and ensure that leaders are not immediately imprisoned and silenced. This political censorship of leaders in Rwanda has become a prevalent issue preventing the representation of the Rwandan people and their needs.
To protect the Rwandan people’s civil liberties and basic rights, it is important to recognize the issues within the structure of democracy that the Rwandan government claims to have implemented. Though there has been an increased dialogue on political representation within local communities in recent years, implementing democratic elements into the Rwandan government has only given the RPF more power and control. As the RPF maintains the image of promoting democratic values, the party’s use of authoritarian leadership negates the representation claimed to be implemented within Rwandan politics. Silencing the voices of the opposition is one of the many steps the Rwandan government has taken to ensure the strength of the current political party. However, this must be reversed through an increase in awareness about the misrepresentation of the Rwandan people. Though there is a general sense of recognition from the Rwandan government of the realities of the Rwandan genocide, a larger sense of accountability must be established to ensure the betterment of the Rwandan government. Raising general awareness of those currently imprisoned and the realities of political censorship within Rwanda makes it possible to create a chance for real political representation and accountability within Rwandan politics.
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