Although we are only getting started, we aim to progressively extend our coverage of countries around the world.
3.1
Full democracyFlawed democracyHybrid regimeAuthoritarian regime
45.18
GoodSatisfactoryProblematicDifficultVery Serious
The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by President Paul Kagame, has ruled the country since 1994, when it ousted forces responsible for that year’s genocide and ended a civil war. While the regime has maintained stability and economic growth, it has also suppressed political dissent though pervasive surveillance, intimidation, torture, and renditions or suspected assassinations of exiled dissidents.
Internet freedoms in Rwanda continued to decline during the coverage period, with the government taking steps to detain, intimidate, and imprison online journalists and critics, as well as subject those detained to violence and harassment. Self-censorship online remains common, as the government increasingly tightens its control of the online media environment. Over the past several years, evidence implicates Rwandan authorities in the widespread use of commercial surveillance tools against journalists, activists, and opposition leaders.
Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Human rights in Rwanda have been violated on a grand scale.
The greatest violation is the Rwandan genocide of Tutsi in 1994.
The post-genocide government is also responsible for grave violations of human rights.
Rwanda today struggles to heal and rebuild, showing signs of rapid economic development,
but with growing international concern about the decline of human rights within the country.