Who are we? RDI–Rwanda Rwiza is a Rwandan political party in exile founded in 2010 by former Prime Minister Faustin Twagiramungu,  among others.
The party is committed to a republican, democratic and inclusive Rwanda. It promotes the values of truth, justice, freedom and equality, as well as governance based on human rights and the rule of law. RDI-Rwanda Rwiza works for a Rwanda at peace with itself and its neighboring countries, convinced that good regional understanding is essential to common stability.

30 YEARS IS ENOUGH

For fifteen years, RDI Rwanda Rwiza has existed in exile. For thirty years, journalists, activists and ordinary citizens have been silenced. And now, in 2026, people are in jail for reading books.

It's time for a change.

By signing this petition, you join us in demanding that Rwanda realize its potential as a nation where ALL its people can live in freedom, security, and dignity. One signature at a time, we can build up the pressure for change. One voice at a time, we can break the silence. Together, we can bring Rwanda back to all Rwandans.

Political prisoners currently behind bars

Rwanda continues to hold many political prisoners: opposition leaders, party members, journalists, bloggers and human rights defenders detained for exercising their human rights. The situation worsened in 2025, with new waves of arrests targeting opposition parties and their members.

• Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza: The leader of the brand new political party DALFA Umurinzi (Development and Freedom for All) was arrested again in 2025. This is his second imprisonment for his political activities. Victoire Ingabire is a prisoner of conscience who has never advocated violence. His only "crime" is to demand that all Rwandans have the right to participate in the political process.
• Déo Mushayidi: He is a Rwandan journalist and politician who has been unjustly detained in Rwanda since March 5, 2010. He denounced the human rights violations and abuses committed by Paul Kagame and the RPF-Inkotanyi regime. He founded a political party aimed at establishing democracy, justice and peace in Rwanda. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Abdul Rashid Hakuzimana: He is a Rwandan politician who was unjustly sentenced to seven years in prison for violating the country's laws on genocide denial. Rashid Hakuzimana, arrested in 2021, denied all charges, which also included inciting ethnic division and spreading false information to claim that anyone who dares to challenge President Paul Kagame in elections is imprisoned.

Journalists and YouTubers unjustly imprisoned

• Yvonne Idamange Iryamugwiza - A YouTube commentator arrested in February 2021 after posting videos critical of government policies. In September 2021, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges including "inciting violence" and "spreading rumours". Human rights organizations have called his pursuit politically motivated.
• Dieudonné Niyonsenga (known as Cyuma Hassan) - Founder of Ishema TV, an online news media. He was arrested several times. In 2021, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison on charges including "obstructing public works" and "immigration violations." Press freedom organizations consider him to be unjustly detained.
• Théoneste Nsengimana: A YouTube journalist arrested in 2021 and sentenced to 7 years in prison for "spreading false information" and "obstructing the implementation of government directives".
• Aimable Karasira Uzaramba: He is a political commentator on YouTube and he was arrested in 2021. In September 2025, he was unjustly sentenced to five years in prison for inciting divisions. Karasira alleged ill-treatment, beatings, and denial of medical care in detention.
• Phocas Ndayizeye: A freelance journalist who contributed to the BBC's Kinyarwanda and Kirundi services, was arrested in 2018. In 2021, he was wrongly convicted of planning terrorist attacks, along with seven other people. Ndayizeye is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

Citizens imprisoned for reading a book

In one of the most alarming examples of political repression, Rwandan citizens were arrested and imprisoned for learning by reading an unbanned book that addressed peaceful revolution.

The imprisonment of citizens for reading books underscores a government’s complete abandonment of democratic principles and human rights.

Enforced disappearances

• Niyomugabo Gérard Nyamihirwa: He went missing in Rwanda at the beginning of April 2014. His family and friends say he was captured by security forces around the same time as the well-known case of musician Kizito Mihigo and journalist Cassien Ntamuhanga. His brother later publicly reported him missing, claiming that police or security agents had arrested him, and he has not appeared since.
• Boniface Twagirimana: Vice-President of FDU-Inkingi. He was imprisoned and then forcibly disappeared from Mpanga prison in October 2018. His whereabouts remain unknown to this day, and the government has not provided credible information about his whereabouts.
• Illuminée Iragena: Member of the FDU-Inkingi who disappeared in March 2016. Despite years of investigations, his fate remains unknown. Human rights groups believe she was forcibly disappeared.
• Bahati Innocent: He was a Rwandan poet, writer, and YouTuber known for publishing poems on social topics such as poverty and youth challenges. He has also worked in the education sector in Kigali. Bahati was last seen on 7 February 2021 in Nyanza District, Southern Province of Rwanda

Transnational repression 
Several high-profile cases and reports by international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International, have reported that the Rwandan government has been implicated in the killings, disappearances, or attempted assassinations of opposition figures and activists living abroad.

 Rwanda officially proclaims itself a democracy, however

Opposition parties are refused registration or are harassed to the point of disappearing.
President Kagame won the elections by margins that no credible observer considers free or fair (93.08% in 2010, 98.79% in 2017 and 99.18% in 2024).
Independent media have been decimated; Rwanda ranks 131st out of 180 countries in the Global Press Freedom Index.
So-called economic progress is no substitute for freedomThe Rwandan government often cites economic growth to justify its authoritarian rule. Unfortunately, some international actors use the same arguments to turn a blind eye to the Kigali regime's acts of repression. He would like to point out that:

The economic benefits are concentrated among the elite linked to the ruling party.
The majority of Rwanda's rural population has not seen any improvement
Independent researchers question Rwanda's socio-economic statistics.
Economic development cannot be based on repression.

OUR DEMAND

We
, RDI Rwanda Rwiza, and all those who sign this petition, call on the Government of Rwanda to:

1. END POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

Stop the instrumentalization of the judiciary and executive power for the purpose of persecuting political opponents.
Immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners.
To bring justice to all missing citizens.
Allow independent international observers to visit all detention centres
Investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment
Providing Compensation and Rehabilitation to Those Unjustly Imprisoned.

2. OPENING UP THE POLITICAL SPACE

Allow all political parties, including those currently banned or in exile, to register and operate
Guarantee freedom of expression, assembly and association as enshrined in international law
Reform electoral laws to ensure truly free, fair, and competitive elections
End the harassment, intimidation and persecution of opposition members and their families
Protecting journalists and allowing independent media to operate without fear
3. ENDING THE REFUGEE CRISIS AND ENSURING A SAFE AND DIGNIFIED RETURN

Cease all transnational repression, including surveillance, threats, and attacks against Rwandans abroad.
To ensure the safe return of political exiles with full legal protection.
Work with UNHCR to address the root causes of Rwandan refugee flows.

4. ENGAGE IN AN INCLUSIVE NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Establish a genuine inclusive national dialogue process involving the government, all opposition parties, civil society, and diaspora communities.
Accept international mediation from the African Union, the United Nations, or other neutral parties.
Developing a concrete roadmap for the democratic transition
Reforming the constitution to ensure term limits and peaceful transfer of power

WE ALSO CALL ON THE FOLLOWING INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO:

• The African Union: Uphold the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and Pressure Rwanda to Respect Democratic Principles
• UN Human Rights Council: Conduct an independent investigation into Rwanda's political repression inside and outside the country.
  The European Union and the United States: Conditioning the benefits of aid and trade on measurable improvements in human rights
• The Commonwealth of Nations: Holding Rwanda accountable to the Commonwealth values of democracy and human rights
  EAC: To be actively involved in the resolution of armed conflicts in the Great Lakes region.
• All Nations Hosting Rwandan Refugees: Protect Rwandan Exiles from Transnational Repression and Resist Pressure to Forcibly Return Refugees to Rwanda

WHY IT MATTERS

The 1994 genocide was a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, and preventing its recurrence must remain a priority.

But effective prevention of future violence requires more than a crackdown on dissent, it requires building a society where all citizens have a voice, where grievances can be dealt with peacefully, and where power can change hands through ballots rather than bullets.

When people cannot change their government by peaceful means, history teaches us that they will eventually look for other means.

The current path, where one party completely dominates, where opposition leaders are imprisoned again and again, where citizens are imprisoned for reading books, is not a path to lasting peace. It's a pressure cooker.

SIGN THIS PETITION IF YOU BELIEVE THAT:

✅ Political prisoners should be released

✅ Freedom of expression and opinion is a fundamental right 

✅ The missing must be counted

✅ The political space should be open to all citizens who are interested in it

✅ Journalists must do their jobs without fear of repression

✅ Citizens must speak out without persecution

✅ Exiles should be able to return home safe and sound

✅ Inclusive national dialogue

✅ Rwanda belongs to ALL Rwandans