20101026
africanews

Rwanda's female opposition leader Victoire Ingabire is facing a bail hearing after pleading not guilty to terrorism charges in a court in the capital Kigali. The leader of the unregistered United Democratic Forces (UDF) party, told an earlier hearing Monday that the case against her was politically motivated.

She was arrested by Rwandan police on October 14 after they said investigations into a former rebel commander facing terrorism charges also implicated her.

She was charged with facilitating the formation of a Democratic Republic of Congo-based terrorist organization known as the Coalition of Democratic Forces (CDF) and threatening national security and public order.

"We have evidence that for a long time Ingabire has been working with the co-accused together with two other men in detention to form a terrorist organization which was supposed to be a military wing (of the UDF)," prosecutor Syliverie Gatambiye told the court, according to a Reuters report.

Ingabire returned to Rwanda this year after a 16-year absence to campaign for the August presidential election which President Paul Kagame won overwhelmingly.

She was barred from standing after being accused of crimes linked to genocide denial. The government had accused her of stirring latent tensions between ethnic Hutus and Tutsis to garner support ahead of the poll.

The prosecution in the terrorism case said Ingabire financed and exchanged information with former Hutu rebel commander Major Vital Uwumuremyi and two other men also in detention.

Ingabire denied the charges and called for her case to be fast-tracked so she could leave the country, as her travel documents are being held.

"The only reason I have been brought here is because I am a member of the opposition and I don't agree with government on many things. I deny all the charges," she told the court.

"I am not aware of any terrorist organization called Coalition of Democratic Forces and any person called Vital Uwumuremyi."

Uwumuremyi, who was arrested earlier this year while trying to slip back into Congo using fake identity papers, pleaded guilty to the charges.

The court judge, Karimba Gaspard, ruled that Tuesday would be the bail hearing for Ingabire's case.