journalist held for “deceiving intelligence services”
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Journalist held for “deceiving intelligence services”

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Journalist held for “deceiving intelligence services”

Kigali - Arabstoday

Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of Idriss Gasana Byiringiro, a journalism student and reporter for the newspaper Chronicles, who has been held for the past 72 hours on charges of trying to “deceive the intelligence services” and fabricating his claim in an article that he was kidnapped and threatened last month. Detained at the Kicukiro district police station in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, Byiringiro has not been allowed to receive any visits since his arrest on 17 July. “Establishing whether Byiringiro’s article was professional and objective or whether he lied is one thing, but if the intelligence services disputed what he wrote, did they have no alternative but to arrest him?” Reporters Without Borders asked. “Using their right of reply in Chronicles would have been more than enough. Why were they so quick to arrest him and then prevent him from seeing a lawyer or his family?” In his article, which was in the form of an open letter, Byiringiro said he was kidnapped on 15 June by four armed men who confiscated his computer and mobile phone and interrogated him throughout the night about his sources before releasing him the next day. He indicated that he thought the intelligence services were responsible. In the weeks since then, he said he had received threatening messages. After the newspaper’s editor filed a complaint, Byiringiro was asked to go to the police to give a statement. He was arrested when he went. After being held for two days without being able to see his family, lawyer or fellow journalists, he reportedly gave a statement yesterday to certain news media in which he confessed to fabricating the abduction story. The pro-government New Times newspaper quoted him as saying: “This was my plan. As a journalism student, I wanted to investigate if this profession is feasible in Rwanda or if it is true that the government harasses journalists, as indicated in international reports.” It is hard to give Byiringiro’s confession much credence when he is being held without being able to see a lawyer and could easily have been intimidated into making it. Three other journalists are currently detained in Rwanda: Habarugira Epaphrodite has been held since 24 April for allegedly minimizing the 1994 genocide. When his trial began on 18 July, a prosecutor requested a six-year jail sentence and a fine of 200,000 Rwandan francs. The verdict is due on 30 July. Agnès Uwimana Nkusi and Saidat Mukakibibi have been detained since 8 July 2010 on a range of charges including minimizing the genocide. Rwanda is ranked 156th out of 179 countries in the 2011-2012 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, while President Paul Kagamé in on the Reporters Without Borders list of Predators of Press Freedom. RWB .

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

journalist held for “deceiving intelligence services” journalist held for “deceiving intelligence services”

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

journalist held for “deceiving intelligence services” journalist held for “deceiving intelligence services”

 



GMT 12:48 2016 Sunday ,27 November

Cilic, Dodig push Croatia to brink of Davis Cup

GMT 05:24 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Erdogan says 'terrorist' Assad cannot be part of Syria

GMT 12:59 2016 Saturday ,05 November

WB welcomes economic reforms in Egypt

GMT 18:40 2016 Saturday ,05 November

Egyptian GDRs in London down

GMT 10:57 2017 Wednesday ,06 December

Peru striker Guerrero has doping ban extended

GMT 17:51 2017 Tuesday ,07 March

Trump Signs New Travel Ban on Six Muslim Countries

GMT 10:30 2017 Wednesday ,06 September

Saudi Information Ministry praises media role during Hajj

GMT 15:29 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Mind games really do help your brain

GMT 06:55 2015 Thursday ,01 October

Boston Red Sox beat Yankees

GMT 08:17 2017 Monday ,28 August

Bahrain celebrates World Humanitarian Day 2017

GMT 02:07 2017 Tuesday ,28 February

Opposition seeks Russian support at Syria talks
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday