OUT OF SIGHT,
NOT OUT OF REACH
The Global Scale and Scope
of Transnational Repression
CASE STUDIES
Rwanda
Members of the Rwandan community in Belgium demonstrate in the snow on December 4, 2010 in Brussels against the upcoming visit of Paul Kagame,
the current President of the Republic of Rwanda, to Brussels. Image Credit: Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP via Getty Images.
R
wandan transnational repression is exceptionally broad in
terms of tactics, targets, and geographic reach. Rwandans
abroad experience digital threats, spyware attacks, family
intimidation and harassment, mobility controls, physical
intimidation, assault, detention, rendition, and assassination.
The government has physically targeted Rwandans in at least
seven countries since 2014, including the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC) and Kenya, as well as farther afield in South
Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Germany. Rwandans as
far-flung as the United States, Canada, and Australia report
intense fears of surveillance and retribution. The cases
documented by Freedom House represent a small fraction
of alleged incidents, but provide a useful window into the
extent and methods of the Rwandan government’s campaign,
especially when taken into consideration alongside interviews,
existing research, and the broader pattern of allegations.
22
@FreedomHouse
The government usually targets individuals who challenge it
through criticism or active resistance, or who question its
version of Rwandan history. Authorities take an extremely
broad view of what constitutes dissent and seek to exert
control over the totality of the diaspora, including through
its embassies and official diaspora organizations. Even
communicating with fellow Rwandans who have run afoul of
the government poses a risk. “No [Rwandan] wants to have
coffee with me even though we are thousands of kilometers
from the country,” a Rwandan exile residing in Europe told
Freedom House.130 The commitment to controlling Rwandans
abroad and the resources devoted to the effort are stunning
when considering that Rwanda is a country of 13 million
people131 where roughly a third of the population lives below
the poverty line.132 The Rwandan government is among the
most prolific transnational repression actors worldwide.
#TransnationalRepression