Yvonne Idamange, a prominent Rwandan YouTuber and genocide survivor has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for “inciting violence” after she spoke out against President Paul Kagame on her YouTube channel.
She had taken to YouTube to publish critical content about the government in a bid to raise concern among international rights groups. She was sentenced to 15 years, and a fine of $2,000. A sum of $6000 and 30 years was initially sought by the prosecution.
In her YouTube video, she accused Kagame and his government of dictatorship and exploiting the genocide without giving enough welfare to the survivors. Yvonne Idamange was found guilty by a Kigali High Court for, inciting violence and public uprising, denigrating genocide artefacts, spreading rumours and violent assault, among other charges.
Paul Kagame has been president of Rwanda since the genocide which left up to 800,000 mainly ethnic Tutsi dead. He has been criticized for abusing the rights of his citizens and impeding freedom of speech.
According to Human Rights Watch, at least eight people who reported or commented on issues in Rwanda in the past year, have been threatened, arrested, or prosecuted.
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Blessing Iyamadiken loves the art of storytelling and enjoys creating all types of content from news to entertainment. She is also a feminist and very passionate about Gender Equality. In her spare time, she loves to read or binge on Netflix.