Lt Mutabazi with a guard

Press release no 003 p.s.imb/014 social party imberakuri is extremely concerned about the life of lt joel mutabazi and his co-accused. following the illegal abduction of lt joel mutabazi from uganda on oct 25,2013 by rwanda security services, he was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured beyond belief; days following this abduction, members of lt mutabazi’s family and other people were arrested and thrown in jail along with him. the social party imberakuri, the party whose main focus is the well-being of the people, would like to alert the rwandese people and friends of rwanda to the following: ever since lt mutabazi’s abduction from uganda on oct 25, 2013 and his imprisonment, he’s been living in hell. he has tried everything to prove his innocence but the kigali government has refused to pay attention: instead he has been terrorized, tortured to the point that, at one time, he was forced to confess to the trumped up charges that had been manufactured against him, way before his abduction. the conditions are just as horrific for lt.mutabazi’s co-accused. they are all being pressured into confessing to false charges and to incriminate lt mutabazi. as soon as the government felt confident that the accused had agreed to confess to the made up charges, it rushed to announce to the rwandese people and the international media, that it had evidence tying lt mutabazi and his companions to the fdlr, and the rnc in a plot to undermine the country’s security. on jan 29, 2014 as the trial was set to continue at the kanombe high military court, the kigali government was surprised by lt mutabazi’s decision to completely deny all the charges, and vow not to continue with the trial as he had no expectation for a fair trial. shortly after, another detainee, joseph nshimiyimana, followed in lt mutabazi’s footsteps, by declaring that he would not participate in the trial either. following this embarrassing episode for the government, it didn’t take long for the prison officials to increase the mistreatment of these detainees: at this stage they are made to spend the day and night in shackles on their arms and legs, they have no visit right like the other prisoners, on top of many other acts of torture against these detainees. the most concerning thing is the blatant disregard, by the rwandese government, for international laws and conventions in matters of human rights and dignity to which rwanda is a signatory, as well as the national laws. the government has instead resorted to military procedures requiring all the accused to remain in handcuffs at all times. there is no doubt that this treatment is going to be very detrimental to the detainees lives, and it’s not impossible to imagine that this could end up in the accused having their arms or legs amputated, as it has been happening to several rwanda’s (http://www.ireme.net/kigali-baracyacibwa-amaboko-namapingu-bambikanwa-ubugome) the other issue of great concern is the constant postponement of the trial, which is aimed at nothing else other than keeping the detainees in chains, knowing well that they are fully innocent. we can inform you that lt joel mutabazi along with 4 others, are incarcerated in the military police camp in kanombe in such small cells, that the detainees cannot even scratch themselves. the other eleven of the detainees are in mulindi prison. social party imberakuri praises lt mutabazi and his friend’s courage, for refusing to be part of the kigali government’s web of lies, and asks those who are accusing them to resist the temptation to fall into the same trap, that augustin niyitegeka, and reverend noel hakizimfura by helping the kigali government to unjustly imprison social party imberakuri’s president, mr. bernard ntaganda; this is also the same trap that maj vital uwumuremenyi, lt colonel noel habiyaremenye and tharicisse nditurende fell into by helping the government convict fdu inkingi’s president mrs victoire ingabire umuhoza on trumped up charges. social party imberakuri is appealing to all rwandans to realize that our country’s problems have reached a point of no return, and that no one else is going to fix them, without everyone’s contribution. we also reiterates our appeal to all countries that are friends with rwanda, and hold and understand the supremacy of human rights, to exert their influence on the kigali government to respect the rights that are guaranteed under law, to lt mutabazi and all his co-accused. state terrorism, torture, and using the justice system for political purposes will not solve the country’s problems. for social party imberakuri vice president alexis bakunzibake

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