UN Rights official concludes Rwanda tour

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Maina Kiai, has concluded his visit to Rwanda with a call for enabling of peaceful gatherings without authorisation. The Rwandan constitution guarantees freedom of assembly but requires prior notification for demonstrations in public areas. While Kiai argued that the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly should not be subject to authorisation from the authorities, the Minister of Justice, Johnston Busingye noted that seeking authorisation before holding a public assembly is to guarantee protection of those involved and affected by the gatherings. “The reason behind seeking authorisation is to ensure that people holding processions are protected together with the road users. There is also need to clear the procession route,” Busingye said. The Minister added: “It is known world over that spontaneous, unorganised, and kangaroo assemblies erupt into violence. We cannot risk public safety.” Kiai also asked the government to review the requirements to register Non-Governmental Organisations and political parties. In august last year, the government promulgated a law that has eased the registration of political parties. Regarding NGO’s the government closely follows up on their activities to ensure that they are of benefit to the Rwandan people after it emerged that some non-government organisations were not helping the beneficiaries they claimed to support and at times fleeced un suspecting donors. Kiai who was in Rwanda on the invitation of the government said Rwanda is the first country in Africa to invite him for an assessment ever since he took office in 2011. He noted that 20 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda has made significant progress in several sectors beyond what the world expected. Busingye emphasised that Rwanda is open for debates and has engaged several local and international entities regarding different policies. During his visit, the UN official got to meet various senior government officials including the Inspector General of Police.

National

UN Rights official concludes Rwanda tour