Four Muslim men that are suspected of plotting terror activities on Rwandan territory through an Islamic fundamentalist movement have appealed against a ruling that sent them on a 30-day remand. The quartet is part of a group of five that were earlier this month remanded by Kicukiro Primary Court on charges of plotting against an established government or the President of the Republic, conspiracy to plot against the government and terrorism. According to prosecution, the five suspects—Amran Rumanzi, Abdalla Kabendera, Yazid Nizeyimana, Ibrahim Rurangwa, and Justine Omar Uwimana—conducted research, held meetings and discussions about the Hizb ut-Tahrir (translated as Party of Liberation), a movement of Muslim fundamentalists bent on “liberating” itself from governments and establishing an Islamic State governed in accordance with Islamic principles. The five were residents of Kicukiro and Bugesera districts. The Hizb ut – Tahrir describes itself as an international pan-Islamic political organisation with an aim the re-establishment of the Islamic caliphate to resume Islamic ways of life in the Muslim world. According to prosecution, in 2012, Amran Rumanzi who is one of the five suspects made a research on the internet and found many books talking about Islam, among which he found information about the Hizb ut – Tahrir movement. Rumanzi later made a plan of implementing the idea of establishing principles of the movement in Rwanda through three ways, first by holding one-on-one sensitisation, hold communal gatherings, and finally conquer the government as a result of the dialogues. The prosecution added that the suspects conducted meetings in their respective homes on a rotational basis and kept their meetings secret from both the religious and government authorities. The Primary Court’s decision to remand them was based on the seriousness of the crimes for which they are being prosecuted, as well as strong reasons for their culpability to the crimes they are accused of. According to the presiding judge the suspects themselves did not deny that they had held discussions about Hizb ut – Tahrir; where two of them Rumanzi and Zaidi Nizeyimana said they sensitized others on the principles of the movement. Four of the suspects appealed, except Ibrahim Rurangwa. Appearing before Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on Monday morning, the four suspects and their two lawyers seemed set for the appeal hearing, however, it did not materialise since the court decided to postpone it upon the request of the prosecution. According to prosecution, the accused while filing their appeal submitted an incomplete file because it lacked the judgement by the lower court. However, the lawyers representing the defendants said that they had fed all the information into the system on the 10th of December and it contained the verdict of the previous ruling. The prosecutor insisted that she did not see the ruling from the system, and asked for more time to look at it. All litigants file their submission through the Integrated Case Management System which can be accessed by all parties in the case. The presiding judge accepted to adjourn the hearing to January 7 during which the appeal will be heard.
