Rwanda : Victoire Ingabire’s hearing postponed, opposition leader calls for Kenyan legal team

SOS Médias Burundi

Kigali, July 8, 2025 – Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire appeared before a court in Kigali (capital of Rwanda) on Tuesday for a bail hearing. This was her first public appearance since her arrest on June 19.

A vocal critic of President Paul Kagame, Ingabire is accused of helping to foment a conspiracy to provoke public unrest. The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) claims she is involved in a subversive conspiracy, as her name has been mentioned in an ongoing case involving nine people accused of trying to overthrow the government.

A dispute over her defense

Tuesday’s hearing was postponed until July 15 after she challenged the appointment of a Rwandan lawyer to defend her, expressing her preference for a Kenyan legal team. The court granted a one-week extension to allow this team to prepare, while specifying that the case will continue even in their absence.

Her international legal team issued a statement calling her arrest “baseless and politically motivated.”

Political accusations?

According to the RIB, Ingabire is under investigation for allegedly forming a criminal gang and maintaining contact with the nine co-defendants. Among them is journalist Théoneste Nsengimana, known for his work with Umubavu TV, an independent online platform. Already arrested for his reporting critical of the government, his case is often cited as an example of the shrinking civic space in Rwanda.

The other defendants are members of DALFA-Umurinzi, an unrecognized political party founded by Ingabire.

A Rwandan opposition figure

Before founding DALFA-Umurinzi, Victoire Ingabire led the FDU-Inkingi coalition, which was also denied registration by the authorities. Exiled for 16 years in the Netherlands, she returned to Rwanda in 2010 to launch an opposition movement. She was arrested shortly after her return, before she could even run in the presidential election.

She was sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy against the state and denial of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, charges she has always denied. She was released in 2018 thanks to a presidential pardon.

In March 2024, a Kigali court rejected her request to have her criminal record expunged, barring her from running in the July 2024 presidential election.