By David Himbara
On November 11, 2021, General Paul Kagame’s kangaroo court sentenced journalist Niyonsenga Dieudonné alias Cyuma Hassan of Ishema TV to 7 years and a fine of RwF5 million. Fast forward to November 16, 2021 – the Prosecution realized it had made a terrible blunder. The crime for which Hassan was sentenced, namely, humiliating public service officials, was repealed in 2019.
The Prosecution confirmed this embarrassing failure in public statement. In normal countries, this monumental government failure would result in the case being thrown out of the court. Hassan would be set free and even compensated for the pain he suffered at the hands of ignorant public officials. But Rwanda is not a normal country. It is a ruthless dictatorship that does not obey even its own laws. The Prosecution will carry on victimizing Hassan as business as usual. Stay tuned.
