Rwanda's president, the all-powerful Paul Kagama has reportedly
arrested a mother and her two daughters because one of the daughters
dared to challenge him by attempting to run against him in the
presidential election.
Vinny Radak took to Twitter to share the news, writing: "Paul Kagame
jails Mother and her daughters because the daughter wanted to run for
presidency."

Earlier last month, on September 4th precisely, Rwandan authorities
arrested Diane Shima Rwigara, a leading critic of Rwanda’s president.
Then, later in September, she was arrested again and charged with
"offenses against state security and forgery" which is different from
what she had been charged with when she was arrested earlier.
It is clear to everyone, however, that her real crime was her attempt
to run against incumbent Paul Kagame in the presidential election last
month, Washington Post reports.

Diane Rwigara's mother and sister were also detained on similar
charges. The three of them are expected to face trial in October. If
Diane Rwigara is convicted on the state security charges, she’ll be
facing a minimum of 20 years in prison.

Diane is a bold and intelligent woman and she most likely got it from
her late father, Assinapol Rwigara. He was a wealthy and influential
man who enjoyed considerable influence among the military, political and
business elites. He, however, had tense relations with Kagame and was
in a group that was said to be planning a revolt against Kagame with the
aim of "overthrowing" his government.

He died in an accident in 2015 - an accident many Rwandans consider
suspicious. The circumstances of the accident left many Rwandans
doubting the official narrative. Rwigara’s family bravely petitioned
Kagame to investigate the matter, but he refused. People believe Diane's
political ambitions are motivated by her desire to overcome the
suffering her family has endured.

Below is how Washington Post reports it:
Challenging the all-powerful Kagame would have already been enough to
get the 35-year-old Rwigara in trouble. But she was especially bold
about it. She chose to announce her protest movement the same day Kagame
officially kicked off his campaign. Then she upped the ante by also
demanding justice for the killers of her father, the businessman
Assinapol Rwigara. He died in 2015 under what his family and many
Rwandans consider suspicious circumstances, after years of tense
relations with Kagame.
Kagame clearly didn’t want to complicate his campaign by facing off
against an outspoken young woman. The election commission refused to
admit Rwigara to the official candidate list, which included only one
opposition candidate to give an illusion of choice. To no one’s
surprise, Kagame won with 99 percent of the vote. Having essentially run
the country since he returned from exile after the 1994 genocide
against the Tutsis, he could now, under the current constitution,
potentially remain in power until 2034.
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