March 2010

WAN-IFRA Condemns Sentencing of Three Rwandan Journalists

WAN-IFRA has condemned the sentencing in Rwanda of three journalists on charges of invasion of privacy.

The three journalists from privately owned Kinyarwanda-language weekly, Umuseso, were sentenced for invading the privacy of a government minister and the Mayor of Kigali in relation to a story alleging an extramarital affair between the two officials.

The newspaper’s publisher, Charles Kabonero, was sentenced to one year in prison, while editor, Didas Gasana, and senior reporter, Richard Kayigamba, were sentenced to six months respectively. The three were also ordered to pay damages of 1 million Rwandan francs (EUR1,300), but remain free pending appeal.

Rwanda’s 2008 Law on the Leadership Code of Conduct criminalises offenses such as adultery for public office holders. In its defence, the newspaper had claimed that reporting the story was a matter of public interest.

In a statement, WAN-IFRA said that imprisoning journalists for carrying out their professional activities constitutes a clear breach of the right to freedom of expression. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers.”

WAN-IFRA urges the court of appeal to overturn the decision and calls on the Rwandan government to fully decriminalise libel and replace current legislation with a civil remedy of reasonable and appropriate damages.

More information on the Declaration of Table Mountain, the WAN-IFRA campaign to abolish insult and criminal defamation laws across Africa, can be found here.

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