A Rwandan who used his YouTube channel to criticize the government has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a court in Kigali, amid a growing crackdown on dissidents in the tightly controlled East African nation. Dieudonne Niyonsenga, whose YouTube channel Ishema TV had amassed more than 15 million views, was found guilty on Thursday on four charges including forgery, impersonation, and “humiliating” state officials.
Dieudonne Niyonsenga is one of a number of people who have fallen foul of the authorities after turning to the video-sharing platform to publish content critical of the government, raising concern among international rights groups. Last month Yvonne Idamange a prominent YouTube commentator and genocide survivor was sentenced to 15 years in prison for “inciting violence” after she hit out at President Paul Kagame on her channel.
The court found Niyonsenga to have committed the crimes intentionally and coupled the verdict with a fine of five million Rwandan francs ($4,900). “Due to the adverse consequences that his crimes have had on Rwandan society, the court orders that Dieudonne Niyonsenga be immediately arrested and taken to serve his jail sentence,” the judge said in delivering the verdict.
Niyonsenga, better known by his YouTube persona Cyuma, which means “Iron”, was known for discussing human rights abuses on his channel. Shortly after the verdict, the YouTube star said police had surrounded his home. Police and prison officials have not confirmed whether Niyonsenga has been taken into custody after being sentenced in absentia.
His jailing comes weeks after another high-profile critic with a YouTube following was sent to prison. Last month, Rwandan authorities arrested six people including a journalist and members of an opposition party accused of publishing rumours allegedly intended to start an uprising, and Theoneste Nsengimana, who runs Umubavu TV – an online Youtube channel that often airs content critical of the government, was among those arrested.
Niyonsenga has already been arrested in April 2020, after broadcasting a series of videos accusing soldiers of serious abuses against slum dwellers during the enforcement of a strict coronavirus lockdown. Shortly afterwards, he was charged with violating the lockdown and impersonating a journalist and sent to prison. He was acquitted and released 11 months later but prosecutors appealed to a higher court.
The crackdown on YouTube creators has had a chilling effect in Rwanda, where independent media has been quashed and other forms of free expression are strictly monitored by the government. Critics have accused President Paul Kagame’s government of human rights abuses although it has had support from Western donors for restoring stability in the years after the genocide, and boosting economic growth.
In March, Human Rights Watch voiced alarm about the crackdown. Though Kagame has denied accusations of abuse.
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