Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama has refuted allegations that at least 8,000 suspects are languishing in prisons across the country without trial.
Legal Aid Forum Rwanda (LAF) had earlier, published findings indicating that some 8,000 people are held in Rwandan prisons without trial.
The findings were a result of a study on the impact of pre-detentions on access to justice that LAF commissioned last year.
However, Minister Karugarama said LAF’s inflated figures were made to mislead public opinion.
“Under the existing political framework and culture, it’s not possible to have such a figure in pre-trial detention. Given our commitment to ensuring that we don’t have people in prisons, under no circumstances can these figures be right,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner-General of Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), Mary Gahonzire, also contested the figures, saying LAF could be having ‘ill intentions’ by releasing false figures.
While unveiling the findings, the Executive Director of LAF, Andrews Kananga, said majority of the pre-trial detainees mentioned in his report are petty offenders.
“Some people are detained for up to six months and by the time they are released they have lost their jobs. Some of the 8,000 in pre-trial detention committed serious crimes, but the petty offenders are the majority,” he said.
Leave a Reply