General Kagame's Police State: Why Victoire Ingabire and all Political Prisoners Must Be Freed Now
By Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa
Co-founder, Rwanda Truth Commission
Washington DC
USA
June 20, 2025
Contact: ngombwa@gmail.com
Once again, Rwanda's self-appointed sole oligarch, General Paul Kagame, has revealed the true nature of his regime. The arrest and renewed imprisonment of Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, a courageous voice of opposition and hope, is not an anomaly—it is a deliberate act of repression in a country where freedom is extinguished and fear reigns supreme. This latest outrage confirms what many Rwandans and observers have long known: Rwanda is, in every meaningful way, a police state.
For three decades, Kagame has kept Rwanda in bondage. He has centralized power in his own hands, dismantled all checks and balances, and weaponized every institution of the state—from the courts to the police, from the media to the military—to crush dissent and maintain his rule. Victoire Ingabire's repeated imprisonment is not about law or justice; it is about the systematic suffocation of democratic life.
Specific, unmistakable characteristics define a police state. Rwanda meets every one of them.
First, power is centralized and lacks accountability. There is no independent judiciary, no functioning legislature, no press freedom, and no room for opposition. General Kagame has turned Rwanda into a one-man state, where decisions flow downward and obedience is enforced at every level.
Second, surveillance is everywhere. Phones are tapped, social media is monitored, and informants lurk in homes, schools, and churches. Fear has invaded private life. To express one's opinion in Rwanda is to jeopardize one's freedom—or life.
Third, political dissent is treated as a crime. Opposition leaders like Victoire Ingabire face jail time or exile. Political parties that lie outside Kagame's circle are either banned or rendered ineffective. Civil society is merely an illusion. The cost of political participation without the regime's approval is harassment, imprisonment, or death.
Fourth, media and information are tightly controlled. The regime's propaganda machine rewrites history, suppresses facts, and demonizes anyone who challenges the official narrative. Independent journalism is considered an act of treason. Critical voices, whether domestic or international, are silenced through intimidation or violence.
Fifth, the police and security services often act as instruments of repression rather than protection. Arbitrary arrests, disappearances, torture, and executions happen with impunity. The regime fears not crime, but criticism.
Sixth, the courts are subservient to power. Rwanda's judiciary has become an instrument of political persecution. It does not dispense justice; it merely rubber-stamps the wishes of Kagame and his inner circle. Victoire Ingabire's case exemplifies this: every legal action against her is politically calculated, rather than constitutionally grounded.
Seventh, civil liberties are nonexistent. Freedom of speech, assembly, religion, and association are mere empty promises. The Constitution serves as a tool for repression, rather than a covenant of rights.
Eighth, the cult of Kagame's personality distorts the soul of the nation. He is omnipresent in portraits, slogans, and state media. The country is reduced to a single man. Rwanda's future is tied to his will. Its people are held captive by his insecurities.
Ninth, civic life is criminalized. Whether you are a teacher, journalist, artist, pastor, or business owner, stepping outside state doctrine becomes a basis for surveillance or persecution. Genuine civic participation is forbidden unless it serves to worship power.
Ultimately, a climate of fear and conformity paralyzes the population. Rwandans live under constant psychological pressure, unsure of whom to trust, what to say, or where safety lies. The silence of the grave has replaced the song of freedom.
It Is Time to Say: Enough!
Victoire Ingabire must be released immediately and unconditionally, along with all other political prisoners imprisoned in the dungeons of this police state. Their only crime is refusing to bow to tyranny. Their only weapon is the truth.
I call upon Rwandans within the country and across the diaspora to rise—not with violence, but with peaceful, determined resistance. Let your voices pierce the silence. Let your courage break the chains. Refuse to live in fear. Refuse to submit to lies. Let us stand for Victoire as she has stood for us.
I also call upon the international community to stop enabling this regime with money, weapons, and legitimacy—enough double standards. Rwanda's partners cannot keep speaking of democracy while funding dictatorship. Kagame's regime is not a miracle—it is a prison.
The world must understand: Rwanda is not Kagame. Rwanda is its people—long-suffering, dignified, and yearning for freedom.
History has shown us that no police state, no matter how brutal, lasts forever. The day will come when the cells are emptied, the censors silenced, and the truth revealed. And when that day arrives, Rwanda will be reborn—not in the image of a tyrant, but in the image of its people.
Let Rwanda be free. Let Victoire Ingabire be free. Let all political prisoners be free.
