Ingabire victoire biography of albert fish

In , I was in the Netherlands, studying business management and economy, when a genocide against the Tutsi took place in my home country, Rwanda. In the space of days, countless people were massacred in one of the worst episodes of ethnic cleansing in recent history. I watched the reports of political upheaval, suffering and death coming from my beloved country in horror.

I said goodbye to my husband and three children at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for what I thought was going to be a very short separation. I even promised my youngest son, who was due to turn eight later that year, that I would be back in the Netherlands to celebrate his birthday with him. Of course, I did not know that I would miss that birthday, and many more thereafter, due to political persecution.

On the day of my return to Rwanda, I visited the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre and gave a speech urging unity and reconciliation. Just three months later, I was arrested and dragged into a politically motivated judiciary process that included years of solitary confinement, relentless smear campaigns and a long, painful separation from my family.

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza (born 3 October ) is a Rwandan politician who served as chairwoman of the Unified Democratic Forces from to As an advocate for democracy and critic of President Paul Kagame, she was the UDF's candidate for the Rwandan presidential elections, but was See more.

My speech at the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre, where I called for effective reconciliation, was considered evidence of genocide denial. After I appealed to the Supreme Court, my sentence was extended from eight to 15 years. In , I was finally shifted from solitary confinement and allowed to serve the rest of my sentence along with the other inmates.

But my isolation did not end even then, because prison authorities started transferring any prisoner who dared to talk to me to faraway prisons where their relatives could not visit them.

05/19/ 0 Born in Washington, DC as Hamilton Fish

The director of the prison only put an end to these transfers when I pointed out to her that those prisoners she sent away spoke of me and my plight where they were transferred. In , just as the AfCHPR was set to decide on my claim, the government of Rwanda withdrew its declaration enabling individuals to file complaints with the court.

Nonetheless, having already reviewed my claim, the AfCHPR concluded in that the Rwandan government had violated my rights to freedom of expression and adequate defence. The court also ordered the government to reimburse me and my family for the material and moral prejudice I suffered during my prosecution and imprisonment.