Reporters Without Borders condemns the Rwandan government’s lack of transparency and its unacceptable acts of harassment and intimidation of journalists with the aim of suppressing freedom of information and independent reporting.
Rwandan journalists have been the victims of the government’s harassment for years, but the targets have for some also included foreign journalists, especially Ugandan ones.
“The Rwandan government often responds to charges of blocking information by portraying itself as the target of malicious international groups that secretly wage what it calls a ‘Blame Rwanda’ campaign,” said Cléa Kahn-Sriber, head of the Reporters Without Borders Africa desk.
“President Kagame needs to understand that people can use legitimate arguments to criticize his government without questioning the very foundations of the Rwandan state. How will his country be able to rebuild its social fabric when raising even slightly sensitive subjects are forbidden?”
Kahn-Sriber added: “A real reconciliation policy should let all voices be heard, even critical ones, and it is up to President Kagame to start it. For the sake of Rwanda’s long-term development, the government must allow freedom of information.”
In the latest case, US freelance journalist Steve Terrill was refused access to Rwanda when he arrived in Kigali on 15 March to cover the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide for Al Jazeera and The Christian Science Monitor. He was detained for several hours without being allowed to make any phone calls and was then put on a flight to Addis Ababa.
Under Rwandan regulations, US journalists do not need a visa to work in Rwanda and the Media High Council agreed in principle to give Terrill accreditation when he contacted it several months ago. The Rwandan government gave no reason for barring Terrill but tweeted an article about an old judicial case in which he was exonerated.
Terrill’s expulsion is just the latest in a series of cases of harassment of journalists who dare to question government policy.
Sonia Rolley, a Radio France Internationale journalist who was based in Kigali until expelled in June 2006, has been harassed for months on Twitter by a person using the alias of Richard Goldston who is thought to be close to the president. FULL STORY
