RPF seeks to eliminate opposition, Human Rights Watch says

The Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) is working to eliminate any opposition to its victory in elections planned for later in 2003, the New-York-based international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday in a briefing paper.

However, the spokesman of the Rwandan government, Joseph Bideri, dismissed the accusation as being "totally baseless".

Bideri told IRIN on Friday that HRW's claim that the government was tightening control by trying to eliminate the Democratic Republican Movement (MDR), the second largest party in the country after RPF, was incorrect because the recommendation came from parliament, not the government.

"In Rwanda, there is separation of powers," Bideri said. "Parliament acts independent of any other state organ and to accuse the government over a decision made by parliament is unfair, to say the least."

HRW's briefing paper, titled "Preparing for Elections: Tightening Control in the Name of Unity", said the government banned the new Party for Democracy and Renewal-Ubuyanja (PDR-Ubuyanja) in 2004 and prohibited formation of any others.

"With the formation of new parties impossible and the one significant old party dissolved, the RPF will have assured the electoral victory it so badly wants," Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to the HRW Africa division, said.

Bideri told IRIN that since parliament recommended MDR's dissolution, the only member of government who had spoken out in support of the move was Prime Minister Bernard Makuza who, he said, happens to be an MDR member.

The RPF secretary-general, Francois Ngarambe, accused HRW of issuing "one-sided" reports, saying the organisation did not seek audience with any RPF officials before issuing the report.

Ngarambe said that the RPF was not a political party as alleged by HRW but a movement "whose membership is open to all Rwandans".

The transitional National Assembly recommended MDR's dissolution, saying that the party was "divisionist" and had a genocidal ideology. According to HRW, the MDR has been allied with the RPF since 1992 and has participated in the RPF-led government since 1994.

"It's remarkable that Rwandan authorities now find a long-standing ally so terrible that it must be suppressed," Des Forges said.

HRW quoted a recent speech by President Paul Kagame, in which he said the outcome of the elections was already known and threatened to "wound" dissidents who oppose the government.

Five people, among them a former senior military officer, a deputy in the assembly and a judge, all "disappeared" in April, HRW said. Rwandan authorities said they had no knowledge of their whereabouts.

"It appears that the 'wounding' of supposed dissidents has begun," Des Forges said.

The transition period in Rwanda ends in July and the country is scheduled to hold the first post 1994-genocide elections soon after. A referendum is planned for 26 May after which Rwandans will adopt a new constitution.

[The HRW briefing is available at: http://hrw.org]