http://www.globalgreens.org/statements/rwanda_democracy
Global Greens urgently call on Rwandan President Paul Kagame to remove obstacles to the creation of Green Party in his country

Global Greens urgently call on Rwandan President Paul Kagame to remove all obstacles to the creation of a Green Party in his country and to ensure the security of all those supporting this initiative

(Brussels 3rd of November 09) The Global Green Coordination urgently calls for the clear intervention of Rwandan President Paul Kagame to ensure the democratic rights and the security of the peaceful and democratic green activists who participated in the founding Congress of the Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) held on the 30 of October.

This call expresses the deep concern of the Global Greens at the news from Rwanda that the founding Congress of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) was violently disrupted by people suspected to be members of the security services . Delegates of DGPR are also being harassed, intimidated and imprisoned by RPF/Government authorities at the local level.

The reaction of the National Police present at the event is very suspicious. Instead of providing the necessary security to the Party Congress, the police decided to cancel the meeting. The two provocateurs that violently interrupted the Congress were released by the police only a few hours later. At the same time, a campaign of harassment, intimidation and even detention of the members of the DGPR at the local level seems to be taking place. According to our information, this is happening in several areas. Here are just some of the districts where this intimidation is occuring: Kibagabaga Cell, Kimironko Sector in Gasabo District; Nyamirama Sector, Kayonza District; Bibare Cel, Kimironko Sector, Gasabo District; Nyagatovu Cell, Kimironko Sector, Gasabo District, and in Kinamba Sector, Gasabo District.

The Global Green Coordination, representing 89 green parties from around the world, calls on its member parties to contact the Rwandan Embassies in their respective countries calling on the Government of Rwanda to provide the maximum security to all DGPR members and ensure that any form of political harassment is stopped immediately.

At the same time we will inform all our parliamentarian groups including the Green Group in the European Parliament to consider the possibility of taking initiatives in relation to these accusations.

We will use all foreign visits of President Kagame to ask him to ensure the full and genuine democratic rights of all Rwandan citizens and to put an end to the systematic obstacles that are preventing the birth of a democratic Green party in that country.

The members of the Global Green Coordination