A tireless Rwandan opposition figure, Victoire Ingabire has faced persecution at the hands of Paul Kagame’s regime for years. In 2010, she was arrested upon her return to Rwanda after leading an opposition coalition in exile. She was imprisoned for nearly eight years in a case that the African Court on Human and People’s Rights found violated her right to freedom of expression, and which human rights experts have condemned as politically motivated. In 2018, she received a presidential pardon, although the government refused to allow her to leave the country and barred from registering her party or running in Rwanda’s presidential elections.
On June 19, 2025, agents from the Rwandan Investigation Bureau arrested Ingabire at her home in Kigali without presenting a warrant. Earlier that day, she had appeared before the Rwandan High Court to serve as a witness in a trial concerning eight members of her party and an independent journalist. She was added to that trial and now faces a host of charges, including establishing or joining a criminal organization, inciting public unrest, undermining the authority of the government, and spreading false information to discredit Rwanda abroad. The prosecutor seeks a life sentence.
More than a year into her second arbitrary detention, Ingabire shared a letter with HRF from her prison cell. In it, she writes:
Sadly, this persecution feels neither new nor surprising. Despite what the charges state, my crime is being a woman who is not afraid to dream out loud of a better future for Rwanda.
My requests to speak to my children have been refused since my arrest in June 2025. I have only occasionally spoken briefly to my gravely ill husband. There are times when prison guards confiscated my documents and those of my lawyers, thereby interfering with our preparations for my defense. I have been prevented from meeting with my co-accused to prepare my defense and barred from attending worship services within the prison, an opportunity granted to the other inmates.
I have been a person of deep faith my entire life. In my darkest moments, I draw great strength from my faith. I believe that by taking away even my right to spiritual nourishment during my imprisonment, the regime is trying to break my will. What they don’t understand is that when you know your cause is just, nothing can break you.”
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has found that both Ingabire and her nine co-defendants have been arbitrarily detained by the Rwandan regime. The WGAD has condemned their imprisonment and called for their immediate release. Additionally, the European Parliament passed a resolution in September 2025 calling for the unconditional release of Ingabire and other detained opposition figures. Despite this, and the many legal violations in her arrest and imprisonment, the Rwandan judiciary is proceeding with the trial.
Ingabire’s family often remarks that she is fully committed to the cause of advocating for democratic reform in Rwanda, even if it costs her freedom. Under incredibly difficult circumstances, she manages to hold onto her faith and find hope:
Earlier this year, my son spoke about my imprisonment at the Oslo Freedom Forum and I heard that posters with my photo had been placed at bus stops throughout the city. It makes me proud to think of my children, standing up for freedom and justice even when they have been asked to sacrifice so much by having an opposition figure for a mother. I hope they understand why I feel called to do this work, even though it keeps us apart.
I am in good spirits, but I am also worried for my life. The recent death of government critic Aimable Karasira in a Rwandan prison on the day he was due for release affirms my worries.
I wonder whether I will ever see my family again or even speak to my children and grandchildren. But I am grateful for everyone who has spoken out for me and called for my release. Only a little of what happens outside these prison walls reaches me, but I know I have not been forgotten and I am thankful for that. I appeal to all individuals, institutions, and states that believe in democracy to join me in calling for the Rwandan regime to reform – for the greater good of its citizens and the entire region. I believe in a better future for Rwanda, but it cannot be built while independent voices are silenced.”
This letter was provided to HRF in English after it was translated by a close associate of Victoire Ingabire’s. The original writings are a mix of Kinyarwanda, French, and English.
