Charles Ntakirutinka 62, an opposition policitian has vowed to remain critical of government after he was released from jail at the end of a 10-year prison sentence.
He was arrested in April 2002 shortly after forming the Democratic Party for Renewal party. Ntakirutinka was a former minister in the defunct Habyarimana regime.
He was charged with inciting civil disobedience and association with criminal elements.
“We thought it was time for Rwanda to have some political opposition so we formed a political party. But they said our party was based on ‘divisionism,’ which was not true. They just didn’t want any opposition,” said Ntakirutinka.
However, when asked if he would remain critical, Ntakirutinka was defiant. “I have to speak the truth. If that means I’ll go back to prison, then I’m ready. Just take me back”.
Ntakirutinka helped launch a new political party, the Democratic Party for Renewal (PDR-Ubuyanja), Parti Démocratique de Renouveau in May 2001 with the former President Pasteur Bizimungu and six others.
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