State prosecutors in Rwanda are pushing for a 22-year jail term for activist Diane Shima Rwigara and her mother Adeline Mukangemana.
On Wednesday prosecutors told the court that there is enough evidence to convict the two. Diane and her mother are facing charges of attempt to foment insurrection against the government.
Last month the outspoken critic of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was granted bail by a court in the capital Kigali.
Rwigara and her mother were freed on bail after spending a year in prison. They are both also facing charges of forgery, which they have denied.
Their trial resumed on Wednesday as the government pushes for the highest punishment for them with a jail term a priority.
Prosecutors told the High Court that “We request that Diane Rwigara be imprisoned for 15 years for inciting insurrection and seven years for forging documents.”
The High Court set the ruling date for December 6.
Rwigara was arrested shortly after declaring her intention to run for President in 2017. President Kagame won that election.
Who is Rwigara?
Rwigara is a 35-year-old accountant. She had accused President Kagame of stifling dissent and holding on to power.
Her accusation came up shortly before she declared her intention to contest the presidential election which President Kagame won.
Her father died in a car accident in 2015 that her family maintains was politically motivated. Rwigara has always maintained that accusations against her are baseless.
Source: Africafeeds.com