The RifDP wishes to correct the erroneous statements of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza

An essential clarification.

The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, recently relayed inaccurate information concerning the judicial situation of Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, a Rwandan political opponent currently imprisoned and being prosecuted before Rwandan courts.

On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published Minister Barrot’s response to a written parliamentary question submitted by Aurélien Taché, Member of Parliament for Val-d’Oise. When questioned about Ms. Ingabire’s case, the Minister stated that she was “…the subject of prosecutions linked to past statements and accusations of ties with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an organization that notably includes former perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda.”

Such a statement calls for immediate clarification, both factually and legally.

Given the seriousness of the accusations mentioned, it would be essential for the Minister to specify, on the one hand, the exact nature of the “past statements” for which Ms. Ingabire is allegedly being prosecuted, and on the other hand, the concrete elements on which the alleged ties she is said to maintain with the FDLR are based. To date, no final judicial decision has established such ties, and these accusations were precisely at the heart of previous legal proceedings that were widely criticized by the international community.

These clarifications are essential to understanding the Minister’s position, and more broadly that of the French government, in a case that many observers and international organizations have described as abusive and politically motivated, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the World Liberty Congress, Freedom Now, and the Lantos Foundation.

Human Rights Watch, for example, has clearly denounced Ms. Ingabire’s arrest, describing it as a politically motivated procedure aimed at intimidating dissenting voices. HRW has called on the Rwandan authorities to release Ms. Ingabire and all individuals detained for political reasons, while recalling the importance of guaranteeing fundamental rights — freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

In the absence of any factual clarification, Minister Barrot’s statement is problematic on two counts: either it is based on inaccurate information, reflecting a troubling lack of understanding of a case that is nonetheless longstanding and well documented, or it contributes to relaying unsubstantiated accusations, at the risk of constituting defamation.

This position is all the more surprising given that France was among the states that publicly called for Ms. Ingabire’s release in 2018, following international pressure exerted on the Rwandan authorities. It also comes after the adoption by the European Parliament of an unequivocal resolution denouncing the arrest and detention of Victoire Ingabire, considering them part of a continuation of political repression and explicitly calling for her immediate and unconditional release, as well as the dropping of politically motivated charges.

In a state governed by the rule of law, lexical caution and factual rigor are not optional, especially when dealing with the situation of an imprisoned political opponent.

An official clarification from Minister Barrot therefore appears not only desirable, but necessary.