KIGALI, June 20 — Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been arrested on charges of inciting public disorder and forming a criminal organization, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) said Friday. The arrest came one day after she appeared in court and denied allegations of plotting to overthrow the government. In a post on X, the RIB said Ingabire is being held at the Remera police station in the capital, Kigali, as investigations are underway in connection with an ongoing case involving nine individuals, including Rwandan national Sibomana Sylvain, who are accused of attempting to topple the government. Ingabire is accused of “playing a role in creating a criminal organization and engaging in acts that incite public disorder,” the bureau said. Earlier on Thursday, Ingabire appeared before the High Court in Kigali, where she denied involvement in any plot to overthrow the government. She was summoned to court after her name was repeatedly mentioned during the ongoing trial of individuals accused of organizing non-violent resistance in 2021, allegedly under the guise of conducting English language training sessions, reportedly with support from Ingabire’s unregistered DALFA-Umurinzi party. In 2013, Ingabire was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of terrorism and genocide denial. She served eight years before receiving a presidential pardon in 2018. She spent eight years in prison before receiving a presidential pardon in 2018. Last year, she was barred from contesting the presidential election due to a legal ban on convicted individuals running for office. Ingabire, 57, returned to Rwanda in 2010 after living in the Netherlands since 1994. That same year, she was arrested on charges of denying the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, following controversial remarks in which she called for the prosecution of those responsible for crimes committed against members of the Hutu majority.
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