- A court in Kigali has sentenced three journalists to prison over a story reporting on an extramarital affair between the mayor of the capital, Kigali, and a government minister.
Committee to Protect Journalists said Magistrate Fidele Bazihana of Nyarugenge convicted former Editor Charles Kabonero, Acting Editor-in-Chief Didas Gasana, and reporter Richard Kayigamba of the private weekly Umuseso in absentia of invading the privacy of Minister Protais Musoni and Kigali Mayor Aisa Kirabo Kacyira.
The media watchdog has condemned the sentences against the trio saying it was yet another sign that the Rwandan regime was trying to muzzle its critics.
Mr Kabonero was sentenced to a year in jail, while Mr Gasana and Mr Kayigamba were both handed six-month terms. All three are free pending an appeal. The three were also ordered to pay damages of 1 million Rwandan francs (US$1,700) to the two officials.
Mr Kabonero and Mr Gasana are already appealing a suspended two-year prison term from a 2008 conviction for slander over a story about tax evasion charges against businessman Tribert Rujugiro in South Africa.
“These prison sentences are deeply disturbing because they reveal a pattern of using criminal defamation to silence critical journalism in Rwanda,” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. “We urge the court of appeals to overturn this ruling.”
Umuseso, known for its critical coverage of the government, was the first to report the allegations in November 2009, according to local journalists.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español