PRESS RELEASE
The United Democratic Forces (FDU-Inkingi), a Rwandan opposition party in exile, express their outrage and deep concern following the arbitrary arrest of Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, which occurred on June 20, 2025, in Kigali.
Mrs. Ingabire, founder and leader of FDU-Inkingi from 2006 to 2019, is a symbol of the peaceful struggle for democracy, justice, and national reconciliation in Rwanda. Her unwavering commitment, including her voluntary return to Rwanda in 2010, led to an unjust eight-year imprisonment, from which she was released through presidential clemency in 2018. Since then, she has continued her political engagement through the party DALFA-Umurinzi, under ongoing state repression.
According to the Rwandan authorities, her arrest is allegedly related to charges of “forming a criminal group” and “inciting insurrection.” FDU-Inkingi strongly denounces these baseless accusations, which are clearly aimed at silencing dissent and criminalizing legitimate political opposition.
On this June 20, International Refugee Day, this act of repression sends a chilling message to the hundreds of thousands of Rwandans who have fled the country due to persecution. It reaffirms the absence of genuine democratic space and the persistent misuse of the justice system for political ends.
FDU-Inkingi:
- demands the immediate and unconditional release of Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza.
- calls for international mobilization to denounce this unjust arrest.
- petitions regional and international human rights institutions (UN, African Union, European Parliament) to take action.
- expresses full solidarity with Mrs. Ingabire, her party, her family, and all political prisoners in Rwanda.
We urge all Rwandans—at home and in the diaspora—civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and journalists to peacefully mobilize and demand justice and political freedom in Rwanda.
Brussels June 20, 2025
For FDU-Inkingi
Placide Kayumba
Chairman