Rwanda: Freedom of expression under attack

Amnesty International urges the Rwandan authorities to protect and uphold the rights of journalists and members of civil society. [...] On the same day that Jean Bosco was attacked, the government-controlled radio station, Radio Rwanda, reportedly broadcast remarks made by the Director of Radio Rwanda and the President of the High Press Council threatening the independent newspaper Umuco. [...] Accusing the newspaper of fomenting ethnic hatred, they compared it to the defunct newspaper Kangura, which published articles advocating hate speech and inciting the killing of Tutsi people before and during the 1994 genocide. [...] This article, written in Kinyarwanda, addresses the origins of ethnicity in the Great Lakes region prior to the colonial period. [...] In view of the current pattern of attacks on journalists in Rwanda, the organisation is concerned that such accusations put the lives of journalists at risk.