Human rights not top priority in Rwanda, but hopes remain

Paul Kagame is about to start another term as President of Rwanda following his fifth reelection. He is only the second person to hold the country's highest office since the genocide in 1994. 

Over 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were brutallty killed in the span of three months during those events, which continue to cast a long shadow over the present-day narrative of Rwanda.

The main focus of the East African nation has been rebuilding and growth since Kagame first took over the helm in 2000; its forecast for economic development is encouraging.

However, the human rights record of Rwanda meanwhile looks less promising, as various watchdogs accuse President Kagame of restricting civil liberties and repressing political dissidents.

Human rights concerns prevail 

Amnesty International is among the long list of organizations that have repeatedly expressed concern over Rwanda's human rights record: In a recent statement issued on the occasion of this year's presidential elections, Amnesty detailed instances of "threats, arbitrary detention, prosecution on trumped-up charges, killings and enforced disappearances" targeting the political opposition.

The statement added that the suppression of dissenting voices, including among civic groups and the press, "has a chilling effect, and limits the space for debate for the people of Rwanda."

Clementine de Montjoye, a senior researcher in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch, echoes similar sentiments:

"Today, what we're seeing is that increasingly people who are trying to peacefully campaign and mobilize, or people who are trying to draw attention to issues to do with poverty, land evictions, social issues, are being targeted," she told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

"Ultimately, that will affect the Rwandan government's legacy going forward."

Choosing development and democracy

According to Hassan Khannenje, director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, a Nairobi-based research and policy think-tank, Rwanda's relationship with human rights must be read in the context of its post-genocide narrative.

"Rwanda provides us with a case where countries in post-conflict environment have to make certain choices: one, between peace and justice, and two, between development and democracy," Khannenje told AP, adding that "(i)t seems that Rwanda chose peace instead of justice, and is choosing development over democracy,"

"It's not really a contradiction, I think these are choices that are shaped by the realities not only of the African continent, but also of most post-conflict societies such as Rwanda."

Rwanda as a diplomatic partner

Phil Clark, a professor of international politics at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, believes that human rights in Rwanda can only improve if international players change their attitude towards Kagame's regime:

"International human rights efforts up until now have failed because they have been completely antagonistic and have not always understood the internal dynamics in Rwanda," Clark told DW, adding that this might have led to lobby groups like Amnesty being ignored by Rwandan politics.

"Rwanda is putting itself out there into the international arena at the moment, building close relationships with France and the European Union around peace keeping missions in Africa, where Rwanda is playing an increasing role," he explained, adding that "becoming a bigger player in terms of international diplomacy" also served as a showcase of where the country would like to see itself as a mediator — rather than being on the receptive end of mediation attempts.

Clark stressed, however, that opportunities for gradual improvements of human rights should perhaps be sought in Rwanda's economy, as the country is increasingly on the lookout for foreign investors.

This could potentially give greater leverage to outside actors who may want to try to influence the human rights situation inside the country, he added.

Calls for change

However, he also cautions that expectations for change should be kept low in a country that has a different interpretation of democratic principles and values:

The reason why Kagame has been able to stay in power for 24 years is chiefly due to a controversial constitutional revision that passed in 2015, which cleared the path for Kagame to remain in power until 2034.

"It's a constitutional framework that will go close to enabling him to be president until he dies," Clark told DW. "Most Rwandans believe that Kagame will try to rule beyond 2034."

Clark cautioned, however, that this does not mean that Rwanda will be opposed to change for the next ten years: Critics inside Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) party are already promoting the idea of an overdue generational shift, Clark estimates.

Whether and when that change will eventually happen, however, largely depends on whether those voices escape the threat of also being silenced.

Edited by: Sertan Sanderson