Human Rights Watch alleges severe human rights infractions against detainees in Rwanda.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has levied serious accusations against the Rwandan authorities, charging them with harsh treatment of detainees. According to an HRW report, various grave human rights violations, such as torture, are rampant in numerous prisons spread throughout the nation. Regrettably, the Rwandan administration has neglected to investigate these allegations.
HRW attempted to engage with the government in Kigali in September, relating to the report's findings, but received no response prior to publication. The report is derived from legal documents and around thirty interviews with victims from 2019 to 2024, which include former inmates from Kwa Gacinya prison in Kigali, a self-proclaimed "police-controlled unofficial detention center" as per HRW's description.
Former inmates of Kwa Gacinya reported a "system of abuse" including mock executions, beatings, and torture, dating back to at least 2011. Court documents also reference prolonged stays in "cells resembling tombs" and confessions extracted under torture.
In a 2020 interview on YouTube, opposition figure Venant Abayisenga outlined the intimidating conditions as "a place of fear," recalling instances of executions he heard while incarcerated at Kwa Gacinya in 2017. Following his public comments on prison conditions, Abayisenga mysteriously disappeared. HRW collected comparable stories from various prisons across the nation.
HRW condemned the Rwandan government for failing to examine or address repeated and trustworthy torture allegations from detainees or former detainees since at least 2017. Up until now, only a high-ranking official has faced charges, while investigations by international bodies are frequently thwarted.
The Rwandan government has been accused of housing prisoners under inhumane conditions, as depicted by former inmates from Kwa Gacinya prison. Additionally, HRW has gathered reports of comparable mistreatment in other prisons throughout the country.
