Amnesty International criticizes "government-orchestrated crackdown" on political opposition

The London-based human rights organisation Amnesty International (AI) criticized the Rwandan government on Tuesday for what it said appeared to be a "government-orchestrated crackdown on the political opposition", ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections due to be held later in 2003. The Rwandan government has rejected the allegation.

The criticism by AI follows a 15 April vote by the Rwandan parliament to dissolve the Movement democratique republicain (MDR) after it was accused in a parliamentary commission report of propagating a "divisive" ideology. The report named 47 individuals, including two government ministers and five Members of Parliament (MP) in the transitional national assembly. The MDR party is one of eight parties in Rwanda's government of national unity.

"The recent purge of MDR party members and alleged supporters prior to a scheduled May constitutional referendum along with the August presidential and October parliamentary elections, is a blatant infringement of these individuals' human rights," AI said.

Rwandan government spokesman Joseph Bideri said on Wednesday the vote to ban the MDR was purely a parliamentary affair and had nothing to do with the government.

"The government of Rwanda does not interfere in the work of parliament," he said. "Parliament carried out its own investigations and a commission made its recommendations. Even the prime minister, Bernard Makuza, who is a very prominent MDR member, suggested that the MDR should be proscribed."

Bideri said the investigation had been a very transparent process and had been followed openly on television and radio.

AI called on the government to ensure the security of all people mentioned in the report, saying that several, including MP Leonard Hitimana, had "disappeared" since 1 April and that others had fled the country.

"The parliament's action endangers the lives and well-being of all those named in the report," the organisation said.

Bideri said certain individuals decided to leave the country once they knew that they were under investigation. But he said others mentioned in the report had felt no need to leave and remained in Rwanda.

"We are not talking about disappearances" he said.