The World Liberty Congress (WLC) strongly condemns the renewed persecution of Rwandan opposition leader and WLC member Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who was arrested overnight following a politically motivated directive from Rwanda’s High Council of Judiciary.
On June 19, 2025, Ms. Ingabire was summoned to court to respond to statements made during the trial of nine individuals accused of “plotting to overthrow the government” and “spreading false information” — charges stemming solely from reading and discussing the book Blueprint for Revolution by Serbian activist Srdja Popović and attending online trainings on nonviolent resistance. These peaceful actions were part of a democratic dialogue about how to promote human rights in Rwanda — activities that should never be criminalized in any democratic society.
Instead of investigating this gross violation of freedom of expression, assembly, and thought — as already determined by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which called for the detainees’ immediate release and compensation — Rwandan authorities have escalated their repression by targeting Ms. Ingabire, a longtime advocate for peaceful political change. Following the court hearing, police raided her home, cut off her communication, and arrested her.
This is not the first time Ms. Ingabire has been targeted for her peaceful political work. In 2010, she returned to Rwanda from exile in the Netherlands to run for President — an act of extraordinary courage in a repressive state. For that, she was imprisoned for eight years on politically motivated charges and only released in 2018 under a presidential pardon. Since her release, she has continued to advocate for justice, reconciliation, and nonviolent democratic change in Rwanda.
Her re-arrest in 2025 — after merely appearing in court as a witness — is a blatant act of retaliation and intimidation. It confirms the Rwandan regime’s deep hostility toward dissent and its disregard for fundamental rights.
We demand the immediate release of Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza.
We call on democratic governments, human rights institutions, and international legal bodies to urgently pressure the Rwandan regime to:
• Cease its politically motivated investigation and persecution of Ms. Ingabire.
• Release the nine activists detained for reading a book and discussing peaceful civic action.
• Comply with the UNWGAD ruling and fulfill its human rights obligations under international law.
The persecution of Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza is not just an attack on one woman — it is an attack on the hope for democracy in Rwanda. The world must not remain silent.
World Liberty Congress
June 20, 2025
