Rwanda authorities took in a presidential contender on Thursday on suspicion of attempted murder, a police spokesperson said. Security forces also detained dozens of opposition protesters when President Paul Kagame presented his papers for re-election.
Opposition presidential hopeful Bernard Ntaganda "was taken in to answer some accusations," police superintendant Eric Kayiranga said.
Other charges against Ntaganda include setting up rebel groups, causing ethnic divisions, and gathering people without permission.
Kayiranga also confirmed the Thursday vening shooting of opposition journalist Jean-Leonard Rugambage.
"He was killed in front of his house when he was going home at 10 pm," he said, adding the "unknown gunman" responsible for the attack had vanished.
Witnesses said Rugambage, the acting editor of the newspaper Umuvugizi, was shot by two men who then fled in a car.
Rugambage had accused the Kagame regime of attempting to assassinate dissident general Kayumba Nyamwasa in Johannesburg on 19 June.
The paper's exiled editor said there was no doubt as to why Rugambage was killed.
"It's clear that Jean-Leonard was killed following his investigations into last week's assassination attempt," Jean Bosco Gasasira told media monitoring group Reporters Without Borders (RWB).
RWB said it was the first murder of a journalist in Rwanda since 1998.
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Rwandan president General Kagame is a mass murderer whose forces have killed more than 7 million Rwandan and Congolese civilians. The only thing standing between him and an international tribunal is presidential immunity. Therefore, he will jail and kill anyone who stands between him and his fake elections. He will do whatever he can to stay in power, because he believes that his freedom depends on it, which is likely true.
Democracy in Africa is highly challenged and mostly denigrated. It simply means that most african states are despotic for they do not like 'majority rule'. Only if we can all accept majority rule will africa be a better place. It is clear that arresting of opposition leader before or during elections is highly unacceptible. Such political high handedness is an insult to principle and institution of democracy in any country. Clearly arresting an opposition candidate before election is harmful to entrenching 'people choices'. The sooner politicians understands that by using state organs to suppress oppososition parties is the begining of people's demise the better. Africa cannot afford dictatorship by the few and army coups are not sweet to our ears as south africans. therefore if the coupe plotter are in the helm it is better to cutterpult the country to open elections where any leader is allowed to campaign freely and to share public / state resources fairly and equitably like any other leader / candidate. 'Viva Majority rule, Viva one person on vote' in every country. This can only be the begining of peace and development in the world in general and revival of africa to her supre status in particular.
Sometimes it becomes so dificult to understand why some leaders are so scared of democracy, majority rule and one person one vote. These appear easier imperative values that come natural to everyone that is humane and intellegent. The Rule of Law cannot survive where there is no majority rule and any government that breaches majority rule is a despotic regime and it must be ashamed of itself amongst democracies and must be treated as such by every wellmeaning people-fearing individuals, states and the world.