In Rwanda Press Day Marked by More Attacks against the Press

Except for the government media and its faithful affiliates, world press day will go unnoticed in Rwanda. This is, after all, one of the riskiest countries for a journalist, according to this year’s ranking by Freedom House, on par with anarchic Somalia. 

There is more sad news. John Gasasira, One of the bravest journalists and without doubt outspoken, is set to be handed a ten year jail sentence. Mr. Gasasira is currently exiled in Sweden after the editor of his newspaper; Jean Leonard Rugambage was brutally assassinated last year.

But Gasasira is not one to give up easily. In an interview with the Voice of America, he has vowed to continue “expose corruption and what he calls criminal activities in Rwanda.”

Of the allegations facing him, which include the charge of insulting the head of state, Gasasira had this to say:

Those are all allegations to deter us and to prosecute us and [from] prosecutors of such dictatorship countries. That’s why you see, like in Libya, [Moammar] Gadhafi compares journalists to cockroaches. That is the same when it comes to President [Paul] Kagame. He has tagged many things to journalists. I’ve been publishing articles exposing corruption scandals. So, when journalists expose such things that’s what they consider being a threat to national security