[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 156 (Thursday, September 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RWANDA: DEMOCRACY THWARTED

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2017

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I held a hearing on 
democratic governance in Rwanda. Rwanda is an important African ally. 
This East African nation has been a valuable contributor to 
peacekeeping in Africa and is the sixth largest troop and police 
contributor to United Nations missions. However, reports have increased 
about the status of human rights and rule of law inside Rwanda and its 
efforts to silence critics living abroad. This hearing will examine the 
future of democracy and rule of law in Rwanda in light of persistent 
criticism of its government's behavior at home and on the international 
stage.
   Rwanda is a constitutional republic dominated by a strong 
presidency. In 2015, the country held a constitutional referendum in 
which an estimated 98 percent of registered voters participated. 
Approximately 98 percent of those who voted endorsed a set of 
amendments that included provisions that would allow the president to 
run for up to three additional terms in office, meaning Paul Kagame 
could be President for more than 20 more years. His election to a third 
term in August 2017 was achieved with 99 percent of the vote.
   A popular politician in the United States or most other countries 
would be unlikely in most circumstances to win nearly 100 percent of 
the vote in a free, fair and competitive election. Consequently, it is 
difficult to believe that even someone as widely admired as President 
Kagame has been could be that popular. Such suspicion is stoked by 
reports of vote irregularities and actions by the Rwandan government to 
restrain opposition activism and enact stringent controls on opposition 
activism, including legal restrictions on civil liberties and stringent 
controls on the free flow of information.
   An example of why there is skepticism about the nature of free 
elections in Rwanda is the case of businesswoman Diane Rwigara, who ran 
as a critic of Kagame. Days after she launched her campaign, nude 
photos allegedly of her were leaked onto the Internet in an attempt to 
discredit her. She said she would not be intimidated and continued her 
campaign. On July 7th, the National Electoral Commission disqualified 
her and two other candidates on technical grounds, alleging that they 
had not collected enough valid signatures. Amnesty International said 
that the election would be held in a ``climate of fear and repression'' 
and the commission's decision was criticized by the U.S. State 
Department and the European Union.
   Following the election, Rwigara launched an activist group called 
the People Salvation Movement to challenge the regime on its human 
rights record, saying that the country's parliament is little more than 
a rubber-stamp. Within days, her home was raided, and she was arrested 
for forgery and tax evasion. Although she was released, Rwigara, was 
rearrested for forgery and offences against state security; her mother 
and her sister also were subsequently arrested for tax evasion.
   This is not the only case of harsh punishment of those who criticize 
the Kagame government. David Himbara, one of our witnesses today, was a 
close adviser to President Kagame and has an inside view of how this 
government deals with those seen as failing the government or those who 
disagree. He testified on the inner workings of the Kagame government 
at our May 20, 2015, hearing on Rwanda. Another witness at that May 
2015 hearing was Robert Higiro, who told a chilling account of being 
solicited to commit the murders of two formerly high-ranking military 
and security officials. That account was backed by authenticated 
recordings of Rwanda's security chief offering large sums of money for 
the murders. In fact, after Higiro testified about this offer, he had 
to move from Belgium to the United States because his life was in 
danger. Both of our Rwandan witnesses have new information that will be 
important for our government's policy toward Rwanda.
   During a staff delegation to South Africa last year, two of my staff 
spoke with officials in the Government of South Africa, which was 
highly offended that the Rwandan government would be involved in the 
murder of a dissident on New Year's Eve 2013. My staff also spoke with 
Rwandan refugees in South Africa who reported being afraid of officials 
at the Rwandan embassy in South Africa, who they said had threatened 
them for seeking asylum.
   Again, Rwanda is not your typical dictatorship in which all people 
suffer under an unpopular leader who does not provide for social 
services or security. Many Rwandans apparently genuinely feel the 
government is acting in their interest, especially in providing for 
inter-ethnic harmony. It is this anomaly we seek to better understand 
through today's hearing.
   My office has compiled a report on our government's human rights 
issues with Rwanda, and we are due to discuss these matters with them 
further. We would be a poor ally if we did not caution the Rwandan 
government about human rights abuses the international community cites, 
including governments in Africa. We hope these abuses can be stopped, 
but until such time as they are, we cannot ignore them and must bring 
them up in our interactions with the Government of Rwanda whether or 
not they readily accept the view others have of their behavior. It is 
in their interest and ours that we do so.

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