On the 6th of December, 2007, the New Times published a story entitled Police beats up journalist.

It involved a scuffle in which a photographer and a reporter of the New Times were arrested  and beaten up by the police.

The policeman in question  was offended by the journalist for taking  his photograph in ‘public’ without his consent. For him, flogging the photo journalist, cocking his gun and attempting to shoot seemed an easier way to cool off his anger. He further   handcuffed him and ordered him to walk to the police station where he was put under arrest for about two hours.

The second journalist who had run to Remera Police Station to seek help was instead told off by a group of about six policemen, and immediately put under arrest as well.

His camera was taken away from him and the photographs deleted.

The officers encouraged and cheered their colleague to beat the journalist and were even surprised that their co-worker was ‘actually patient’ to have left the journalist alive. In just 10 months, 3 journalists have been roughed up by police over flimsy reasons.

In another incidence, policemen beat up a man who was found selling local brew on Umuganda (communal work) day. There are several other isolated cases  where people have been beaten up by the police.

This rings a bell to  Rwandans; they ought  to know that the police is not supposed to beat up anyone regardless of whether they are in the wrong or not.

People should not be threatened by armed policemen.  There is just one solution to put an end to these kinds of fracas. People should be sanitised on their rights, duties, relationship with the police and their limits. Otherwise, everyone on duty is participating in building the nation. As I write this letter, the officer who tortured the journalist is in jail.

Thanks to the Rwanda police who are helping to put the ‘rotten tomatoes’ out of the ‘basket’.

Rwamagana