HRF, @freedomnoworg, and the @LantosFndn call for the immediate release of Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire. Rwanda’s subservient Supreme Court ruled that her arrest in June 2025 did not violate her constitutional rights, a ruling that exemplifies dictator Paul Kagame’s systematic persecution of dissidents in Rwanda.

Ingabire has faced repeated legal action over the past 15 years. Arrested in 2010, she was imprisoned for nearly eight years in a case widely criticized by human rights experts. After a 2018 presidential pardon, she remained barred from political participation and international travel.

She was re-arrested on June 19, 2025 without a warrant, shortly after testifying in another baseless case involving members of her political party. Prosecutors are now pursuing charges that carry a potential life sentence. Ingabire’s only crime has been to publicly challenge dictator Paul Kagame.

The case reflects failures of due process and judicial independence in Rwanda. We call for Victoire Ingabire’s immediate and unconditional release and urge international monitoring of her trial. Read the full statement.