Rosa Estaràs denounces the "political persecution" suffered by Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire.

PalmRosa Estaràs, a member of the Balearic Islands People's Party (PP), has publicly denounced the "political persecution" suffered by Rwandan opposition leader and president of the United Democratic Forces, Victoire Ingabire, currently imprisoned in Kigali. Estaràs made this clear in the European Parliament plenary session this Wednesday, according to the PP party in a press release.

The politician recalled that Ingabire, who lived in exile in the Netherlands, returned to Rwanda in 2010 to run in the presidential elections, but was arrested and convicted in a trial "fraught with irregularities," according to Amnesty International and other NGOs. Initially sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiracy against the authorities, the MEP emphasized, her sentence was later extended to 15 years. Despite having received an amnesty in 2018 from the country's president, Paul Kagame, the opposition leader was placed under house arrest and was arrested again last June. "Her current imprisonment is arbitrary; the Prosecutor's Office did not file charges within the deadline, and she is being prevented from communicating with her family and legal team," Estaràs said, noting that Ingabire was a candidate for the Sakharov Prize in 2012, with the support of the European People's Party (EPP).

She also indicated that the African Court of Human Rights ruled that Rwanda had violated her fundamental rights. She also denounced the fact that the opposition leader's Kenyan lawyer cannot represent her in court due to a decision by the Rwandan Bar Association. The Balearic MEP also warned that the opposition leader is being held in the same cell as an inmate convicted of murder, which she described as "a direct threat to her physical safety." "We will be issuing a call from the European Union regarding the persistent violations of Victoire Ingabire's human rights and the absence of the rule of law in Rwanda," he warned, before urging the international community to "maintain pressure and vigilance on the case."

The relationship with Mallorca

Fifteen years ago, Victoire Ingabire prepared to participate in the African country's elections in Mallorca. She was sent to pretrial detention on charges of forming an alleged criminal group and inciting public unrest. The decision, as confirmed by various African media outlets and the politician and human rights activist's entourage, was made "on the grounds of flight risk and possible interference in the investigations," sources from organizations such as Veritas Rwanda Forum, which has been working for years for the democratization of the African Great Lakes region, told ARA Baleares.

Ingabire's arrest took place on June 19, and her case was then transferred to the Kicukiro Court of First Instance on June 30, with an express request for pretrial detention. Despite her defense's attempts to avoid pretrial detention, the Rwandan justice system deemed it necessary to send her to prison, which has once again generated great concern among her family and exile support groups, mainly based in Europe.

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza is a Rwandan activist and politician who has been working for years to democratize her country and secure the return of the tens of thousands of exiles that this small African state has accumulated. To advance her campaign, Ingabire received significant support from various groups linked to Mallorca.