The leader of Rwanda’s opposition, Ingabire, has been called to court in a treason case

She revealed the information in a post on X, which has sparked rumors that the 56-year-old would soon be charged with treason.

“Today, I received a summons to appear in court on June 19, 2025, Thursday. Ingabire wrote, “I am awaiting a formal letter with more information.

Her summons comes in response to questions posed by a Kigali High Court judge during the trial of nine defendants who are said to have planned to topple the Rwandan government peacefully.

Although Ms. Ingabire’s name came up several times during testimony, the judge questioned why she had not been listed among the defendants.

The prosecution claims that the defendants, which include opposition activist Sylvain Sibomana and journalist Théoneste Nsengimana, were connected to Ingabire’s unregistered DALFA-Umurinzi party and were given financial and intellectual backing to carry out regime change trainings.

The defendant allegedly planned “Ingabire Day,” a yearly celebration honoring her incarceration.

The prosecution said that the law gave them the authority to choose who to charge when the judge questioned them about their choice to not bring Ingabire during the hearing on June 17.

In response, the judge mandated that Ingabire attend for interrogation.

On Wednesday, Ingabire promised to “be there at 9am” to the Nile Post.

She responded, “The same charges as my comrades who are already on trial,” to the charges that she is most likely facing.

seeking to topple the present administration and spreading rumors. In Rwanda, opponents are consistently charged with the same offenses.

Less than a year has passed since President Kagame made vague threats against unidentified dissidents who had been pardoned but persisted in their political engagement in a nationwide broadcast.

“Those people you see moving around freely are the ones we released from prison… You are familiar with them. At the time, Kagame made a hand motion that looked like winding a clock and stated, “But we’re coming for them.”

“Are you familiar with wall clocks that require rewinding? We intend to reverse them.

According to BBC Gahuza, Ingabire’s foreign legal team thinks such comments were directed at her.

After returning from exile in the Netherlands to run for president that year, Ingabire, a member of the Hutu ethnic group, was initially jailed in 2010.

She controversially demanded national recognition for moderate Hutus who lost their lives defending Tutsis during the 1994 massacre during her first public appearance.

Shortly after, she was arrested and given a 15-year sentence for allegedly organizing an armed group, jeopardizing national security, and denying genocide—all of which she disputes.

She claims that five of her eight years in prison were spent in solitary confinement. Rwanda had breached her rights to freedom of expression and defense, according to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which decided in her favor.

Although she received a presidential pardon in September 2018, she is still subject to travel restrictions. She has been unable to travel overseas to attend private family occasions, such as her son’s wedding, her grandchild’s birth, and her husband’s illness in the Netherlands.

She pursued legal rehabilitation in March of last year with the intention of running for president on July 15, 2024. She was further prohibited from leaving Rwanda when the high court rejected her case.

Ingabire reiterated her dedication to peaceful democratic struggle in an interview with the Nile Post prior to the election, which she was once more unable to run in.

Her words, “I’ve no intention of giving up,” “I decided to campaign for the establishment of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights in our country and in the interest of all Rwandans.”

She is not a defendant in the treason trial at the moment, but prosecutors made hints in court that she and others might be looked into or charged in the future.

It’s uncertain if she will be arrested when she shows up in court on Thursday.