Kigali, 04 January 2012
In our last press release we alerted the public about Mr. Gratien NSABIYAREMYE, FDU-INKINGI interim executive member in charge of Youth, abducted by Marine unit soldiers led by the violent Captain RUTABURINGOGA on 02 January 2012. After over 8 hours in unknown location he was taken to RUBAVU police station for interrogation. Yesterday, Colonel Joseph NZABAMWITA, the army and Defence spokesperson, misled the opinion and pretended that a marine patrol pursued that night a criminal who resisted arrest after he robbed three mobile phones. This shows once again the true nature of the regime in Kigali, specialized in the fabrication of criminal charges in order to silence the opposition or any other dissenting voices. The army spokesman’s story is a “reconstruction” that is covering army’s interference in politics, weaving it with a “fabric of lies”.
The army spokesperson stated: “the true facts of the case are that on 1 January 2012 at 2300hrs, Marine patrol in Rubona Cell, Nyamyumba Sector pursued criminals who robbed Hakizimana JMV of three mobile phones and 160000Frw. The criminal who was identified as Nsabiyaremye Gratien was pursued up to his house where he resisted arrest. The case was handed over to police who arrested Nsabiyaremye Gratien in the morning of 2 January 2012 and is in Police Custody at Rubavu Police Station as they complete the case for prosecution”.
This is another fabric of lies: why a marine unit was patrolling a civilian residential area? Since when have they replaced the police and carried out late night arrests without a legal warrant? How did they identify the opposition leader as a “criminal” that night at 23:00? Why were they trying to arrest the opposition leader in the middle of the night knowing that the person is a regular resident known to everybody in the area? Where did they keep him before the transfer to the police station? During the morning arrest, Mr. Gratien NSABIYAREMYE was severely beaten by Captain RUTABURINGOGA from the marine unit based in Gisenyi.
The army statement is silent on the arrest of Felicien KAYIRANGA, the small brother of Mr Gratien NSABIYAREMYE on 03 January 2012 after he explained that they refused to open the door to armed strangers in the middle of the night because eight years ago, one of their brothers was shot dead by military personnel as he opened the door to people in military uniforms and no investigation was carried on.
We believe this is just a continuing intimidation campaign because threats and attacks to opposition leaders and members have been on the rise inside and outside the country. Reports about armed people in military uniforms abducting civilians in the night are still occurring. For example, Onesphore BENDANTUNGUKA (59 years old) was kidnapped in the very Rubavu district (Nyamyumba sector, Rubona cell, Buharara location) on 13 December 2011; Jean Pierre HUBATSWENIMANA (42 years old) and Moise HAKESHIMANA (35 years old) were abducted in Musanze district (Muhe village, Ruhengeri) in December 2011 as well. There whereabouts remain unaccounted.
Last night, the capital city KIGALI was again a scene of grenades attacks that killed 2 and injured 20 civilians. We call upon the government to investigate these incidents and give accurate information on these attacks and those that rocked the capital Kigali last year.
We demand an immediate liberation of Mr. Gratien NSABIYAREMYE, his brother Felicien KAYIRANGA and all other political prisoners.
FDU-INKINGI
Boniface Twagirimana
Interim Vice President
04Jan