Bernard Ntaganda is on a hunger strike until he is admitted back into legal practice. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
In February 2011, Mr Ntaganda, was sentenced to four years in jail by the High Court after he was found guilty of organising an illegal gathering, threatening state security and inciting ethnic divisions.
Rwandan opposition politician Bernard Ntaganda has gone on a hunger strike until the Rwanda Bar Association (RBA) admits him back into legal practice.
Mr Ntaganda, founder of the Parti Sociale Imberakuri (PS-Imberakuri), on Tuesday last week, vowed to camp at the office of the RBA until he is cleared to join the legal body to continue practising as an advocate.
Mr Ntaganda had been a practising lawyer before joining politics in 2010, vowing to participate in the 2010 polls against President Paul Kagame. He however failed to have his party registered and his utterances got him in trouble later.
He was arrested in June 2010, ahead of the August presidential polls, for allegedly making remarks that propagated ethnic divisions and threatened state security. At the same time, a breakaway faction of his party led by Christine Mukabunani was registered.
In February 2011, Mr Ntaganda, was sentenced to four years in jail by the High Court after he was found guilty of organising an illegal gathering, threatening state security and inciting ethnic divisions. He was also fined Rwf100,000 ($121). The sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012. He was freed in June 2014 after completing his sentence.
Mr Ntaganda told The EastAfrican that his is a “political struggle and cannot be limited by what the law says.”
Some analysts see his attempt to rejoin the bar as a sign that he has given up his political ambitions. He has become less vocal on political matters, of late.
“My application has been rejected several times by Julien Kavaruganda, the president of the bar association. I have the right to re-apply to join the bar after serving my sentence,” Mr Ntaganda said.
According to Article 6 of the 2013 law establishing the Rwanda Bar Association, practising lawyers should not have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment equal to or exceeding six months. However, it does not say if the requirements apply to members who are convicted after they get their licence.
