L'opposante Victoire Ingabire Libérée De Prison

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L'opposante Victoire Ingabire Libérée De Prison A la une / International Rwanda L'opposante Victoire Ingabire libérée de prison Une des principales figures de l'opposition rwandaise, Victoire Ingabire, est sortie de prison, hier, dans le cadre de la libération anticipée de plus de 2 000 prisonniers décidée la veille par le président Paul Kagame qui dirige son pays d'une main de fer depuis près d'un quart de siècle. “Je remercie le Président qui a permis cette libération”, a dit l'opposante alors qu'elle quittait la prison de Mageragere dans la capitale rwandaise, Kigali. “J'espère que cela marque le début de l'ouverture de l'espace politique au Rwanda”, a-t-elle ajouté, appelant M. Kagame à “libérer d'autres prisonniers politiques”. La libération surprise de 2 140 détenus, dont Mme Ingabire et le chanteur Kizito Mihigo, a été décidée lors d'un conseil des ministres, vendredi, au cours duquel une mesure de grâce présidentielle a été approuvée. “Le conseil des ministres présidé par le président Paul Kagame a approuvé, aujourd'hui, la libération anticipée de 2140 condamnés auxquels les dispositions de la loi leur donnaient droit”, a précisé un communiqué du ministère de la Justice. “Parmi eux figurent M. Kizito Mihigo et Mme Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, dont le reste de la peine a été commuée par prérogative présidentielle à la suite de leurs dernières demandes de clémence déposées en juin de cette année”, a ajouté le texte. Mme Ingabire avait été arrêtée en 2010 peu de temps après son retour au Rwanda alors qu'elle voulait se présenter à la présidentielle contre Paul Kagame comme candidate du parti des Forces démocratiques unifiées (FDU- Inkingi), une formation d'opposition non reconnue par les autorités de Kigali. Cette économiste hutu, qui n'était pas au Rwanda pendant le génocide, avait avant cela passé 17 ans en exil aux Pays-Bas. Elle purgeait une peine de 15 ans de prison, prononcée en 2013 par la Cour suprême pour “conspiration contre les autorités par le terrorisme et la guerre” et “minimisation du génocide de 1994” qui a fait 800 000 morts entre avril et juillet 1994, essentiellement parmi la minorité tutsi. Kigali l'avait accusée d'avoir nié la réalité du génocide en demandant que les auteurs de crimes contre les Hutu soient eux aussi jugés. Kizito Mihigo, un chanteur très populaire au Rwanda, avait été arrêté en 2015 et condamné à 10 ans de prison pour conspiration en vue d'assassiner le Président. Réélu en août 2017, pour un troisième mandat de 7 ans, Paul Kagame est crédité de l'important développement d'un pays exsangue au sortir du génocide. Mais il est aussi régulièrement accusé de bafouer la liberté d'expression et de museler toute opposition. En novembre, la Cour africaine des droits de l'homme et des peuples (Cadhp) avait estimé que la condamnation de Mme Ingabire avait violé ses droits à la liberté d'expression et à une défense adéquate. La Cour d'Arusha avait cependant souligné qu'elle n'était pas une instance d'appel des décisions de la justice rwandaise et avait refusé d'ordonner une révision du procès ainsi qu'une libération conditionnelle. R. I./Agences.
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