Since 4^th September, Nshimiyimana Ananias, a resident of Nyamasheke District has been detained in a Nyamasheke District Rehabilitation Center, his wife and a neighbors said  he has been arrested after giving information to Radio Isangano, authorities said he was taken into custody for contempt.

In August 2019, Radio Isangano reported on the residents of Mutusa village in Rwesero cell in Kagano sector, saying that they have denied passage path by their neighbors and water from houses were going to demolish these people’s houses homes. One of the guys who talked to the journalist has been detained at Nyamasheke Correctional Center.

Nyiranzakizwanayo Rachel, Nshimiyimana's wife, talked about what authorities call contempt.

"They called him when he was not there, he was attending the family funerals in Kigali, and I reported to the cell because the issue was about our child, and when I arrived they refused, told they want my husband and I cannot represent him,"she said.

"When husband came back, he immediately reported to the cell office and he was told that he has an issue with the administration without specifying what was about.

 One of his neighbors, who preferred to be kept anonymous for security reasons, said that what the man was taken to the correctional center for was of media coverage:

 “We asked the leader why the man was detained and is still in custody, and requested them to come to the field and see what is going on; they said it is because he brought the Radio to our village while we don't want it”.

The neighbor went on to say that this was stated by the executive secretary of Kagano sector, "ES was the one who said this while he was sitting in a village meeting and he said let him be tortured and feel it.”

Kagano Sector Executive Secretary Mr. Niyonzima Jacques denies that the citizen was taken to the correctional Center because he provided information that instead he was contesting the leaders,

“Ananias is a man who has been portrayed as a rebel, an abuser, he has been summoned and he has not responded; we can assess it and let him come back ; I think in custody he might have understood how leadership works and it role in management”.

He went on to say that he was being prosecuted for making the road into a community farm where he was summoned and did not respond.

The secretary said Nshimiyimana had been summoned by the village head four times but did not report and was summoned by the cell's executive secretary and also refused to report

Mr Kimanuka Jean Nepomscene, the head of quarter ( umuyobozi w’isibo) in which the victim lives said that Nshimiyimana is innocent and affirms that the reason behind his detention is media reports.

"He is not a thief, he has ever wrangled with no one, I don't see anyone fighting with him, there's nothing wrong he has done," he said

This could be one of the ways to intimidate the public for not talking to the media, which is why people often say that when journalists leave, officials in different sectors of Nyamasheke district often look down on them

Rehabilitation Centers are usually held for criminals whose behaviors’ are strange to society and they are handed to prosecution

BY Dushimiyimana Ngabo Emmanuel/ Isangano radio