Jackie Umuhoza
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Jackie Umuhoza is the daughter of exiled Rwandan pastor Deo Nyirigira.[1] She, along with her sisters Lilian Umutoni and Axelle Umutesi, was arrested on 27 November 2019 on charges of treason and espionage.[2] Her sisters were released after one day, but Umuhoza remained imprisoned until March 2020.[3][4]
Background and Family
Under the rule of Paul Kagame there has been much international concern about human rights in Rwanda, particularly the freedom of the press and the safety of dissidents. Umuhoza's father, Deo Nyirigira, was a part of the Rwandan Patriotic Front.[5] While he has since left politics to become a clergyman,[5] the pro-government media alleges that he is in contact with the Rwanda National Congress.[2][5] The family fled to Uganda in 2001,[5] and Umuhoza has Ugandan citizenship.[2]
Umuhoza returned to Rwanda in 2016, a few years after her two sisters.[2] Starting in late 2017, the three women have been summoned and questioned about their father's actions, and they were detained for a week in March of 2019 after trying to leave Rwanda for Uganda.[2][4] At that point, the sisters' passports and national identity cards from both countries were confiscated.[2]
Arrest
According to her family, on 27 November 2019[6] Umuhoza was leaving a beauty salon in Kigali on when five men arrested her and took forced her into a van.[5] Her family and friends raised questions about her arrest on social media, leading to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau confirming on social media that she had been arrested on charges of treason and espionage.[7][8] The charges carry the possibility of 20-25 years in prison.[7] She was held incommunicado until 8 December 2019, with no contact from her sisters or a lawyer.[4] She was held for more than a month without an order from a judge or a request from the public prosecution, exceeding the five day maximum allowed by the Rwandan criminal code.[1] In March 2020, she was released from jail, though barred from leaving Kigali and with charges still pending against her.[4]
International Response
Amnesty International issued a letter on the arbitrary detention of Jackie Umuhoza.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Rwanda: Pastor's daughter arbitrarily detained: Jackie Umuhoza". Amnesty International. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Jackie UMUHOZA & her 2 sisters". Cry for Justice. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ↑ "COMING INFO ON THE KIDNAPPING, INCARCERATION AND TORTURE OF MISS JACKIE UMUHOZA". Rpf Gakwerere. 7 December 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "FREEDOM NOW – INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION TO THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" (PDF). Freedom Now. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Adebayo, Bukola (24 December 2019). "Rwanda accuses a pastor's daughter of treason and espionage. Her family says the charges are fabricated". CNN. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ↑ Himbara, David (22 December 2019). "Kagame's 2019 Was The Usual Cocktail Of Trips, Boasts, Debt, Death, Imprisonments, Recklessness, Cruelty, Currency Collapse, And Passing The Blame". medium.com. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kamanzi, Nicole (28 November 2019). "RIB arrests one on espionage accusations". Igihe. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ↑ Akwei, Adotei. "Rwanda". Amnesty International. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
External links
This article "Jackie Umuhoza" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.