AFRICA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

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cluding the ARJ, in order for them to operate legally until the new law is implemented
and it can receive a license.
Media sources are limited. There are several privately owned newspapers, which
publish weekly in English, French, or Kinyarwanda. There is no daily newspaper.
The Government owns the only national radio station and the only television station,
which has 5 hours of programming per day. The government-controlled radio
station, Radio Rwanda, is widely listened to and each Sunday broadcasts a call-in
program, which discusses and debates controversial subjects. Radio Rwanda journalists
are civil servants of the National Office of Information (ORINFOR). The British
Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts on FM from Kigali in several languages. The
German broadcasting service Deutsche Welle also broadcasts from Kigali.
The government-owned telecommunications company is the sole Internet service
provider; however, during the year, several licenses were granted to private companies
that plan to provide Internet services in the future.
The Government respects academic freedom.
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association.—The fundamental law provides
for freedom of peaceful assembly; however, the authorities limited this right in practice.
They legally may require advance notice for outdoor rallies, demonstrations,
and meetings; authorities generally prohibit nighttime meetings.
The Constitution provides for freedom of association; however, the Government
limited this right in practice. Private organizations are required to register but, with
few exceptions (see Section 2.a.), the Government generally grants licenses without
undue delay. All unions must register with the Government (see Section 6.a.).
The National Revolutionary Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND),
and the Coalition for Defense of the Republic (CDR), both implicated in planning
and executing the 1994 genocide, are banned by law.
c. Freedom of Religion.—The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the
Government generally respects this right in practice; however, it imposes some restrictions.
There is no state religion.
The Government requires nonprofit organizations, including religious groups, to
register with the Ministry of Justice in order to acquire ‘‘juridical existence.’’ This
registration generally is routine and not burdensome. Relevant legislation makes no
provision for tax-exempt status for such organizations. Failure to register leaves an
organization unable to legally conclude agreements with other organizations, including
agreements to receive assistance.
There were no reports that government officials barred from office persons who
refused for religious reasons to take the oath of office; such an incident occurred
during the 1999 election. The law provides for small fines and imprisonment for up
to 6 months for anyone who interferes with a religious ceremony or with a minister
in the exercise of his profession.
The Government forbids religious meetings at night on the grounds that insurgents
formerly used the guise of nighttime ‘‘religious meetings’’ to assemble their
supporters before attacking nearby targets.
Local officials on several occasions briefly detained persons who, on religious
grounds, refused to participate in nighttime security patrols or cooperate in other
government programs. Among the detainees were adherents of ‘‘Temperance’’ and
‘‘Abagorozi,’’ both said to be offshoots of the Adventist Church and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Government harassed, arrested, and detained some members of Jehovah’s
Witnesses during the first 6 months of the year. Despite these accusations,
there does not appear to be a pattern of systemic government discrimination against
any particular religious group.
After the doomsday cult-related deaths in Uganda in March, the Government cautioned
local officials to be alert to similar cults in Rwanda. In April local officials
detained nine leaders and members of a religious organization called ‘‘The Evangelic
Ministry in Africa and the World’’ in Byumba prefecture, near the border with
Uganda. This organization had convinced a number of persons to leave work or
school and surrender their material possessions in expectation of an imminent second
coming of Christ.
Several members of the clergy of various faiths, notably Catholicism, have faced
charges of genocide in both Rwandan courts and the ICTR. In June a Rwandan
Court found Roman Catholic Bishop Augustin Misago not guilty of all charges related
to his actions during the 1994 genocide. He was released soon after the decision
was announced. On October 25, two Catholic priests were released when their
1998 convictions on genocide charges were overturned upon appeal (see Section
1.a.).
Catholic officials have charged that the Government is prejudiced against the
Church. Catholic officials also have criticized the determination of the Government
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