Ingabire, the founder of the unregistered DALFA Umurinzi political party, made the remarks on September 28 as she began presenting her defence before the Kigali High Court.
She is on trial alongside nine other defendants over charges related to an alleged plot to overthrow the government. The defendants began presenting their defence after the prosecution concluded four days of submissions.
The prosecution has alleged that Ingabire founded and led FDU Inkingi, which later joined P5, a coalition of groups opposed to the Rwandan government. It has also linked the coalition to attacks carried out in Musanze District in October 2019.
Ingabire rejected the allegations, saying she had no role in the formation of P5 because she was in prison at the time.
She said P5 was established in June 2016, while she was serving a prison sentence, and that she only learned after her release in September 2018 that FDU Inkingi had changed its leadership structure.
Ingabire said FDU Inkingi's rules did not allow it to join a coalition of armed groups such as P5, which the prosecution has described as having a military structure led by Kayumba Nyamwasa, a former Rwandan military officer.
On the October 2019 attack in Musanze, Ingabire denied any involvement and said she was among those who condemned the incident publicly.
She said she issued a statement condemning the attack at the time.
The prosecution has also alleged that Ingabire was previously associated with RDR (Rassemblement Démocratique pour le Retour de Réfugiés), a group established in former Zaire that sought the return of Rwandan refugees and later became ALiR and FDLR.
Ingabire disputed this, saying she had never belonged to that organisation. She said she was instead associated with a different group with a similar acronym, RDR (Rassemblement Républicain pour la Démocratie au Rwanda).
She also denied prosecution claims concerning her political activities while she was in prison.
Ingabire led FDU Inkingi until her arrest on October 14, 2010. She argued that she should not be held responsible for the party's activities during the period she was incarcerated.
She was released in September 2018 after receiving a presidential pardon.
Ingabire also asked the court not to treat her as a repeat offender, referring to her 2013 conviction, which she said she appealed before the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. She told the court that the case resulted in her acquittal and an order for compensation of more than Rwf60 million.
'The prosecution also knows that a person who is in prison does not engage in politics,' she told the court.
The prosecution has further alleged that Ingabire established DALFA Umurinzi in 2019 to distance herself from FDU Inkingi's alleged involvement in the Musanze attack, while maintaining similar political activities.
It has also alleged that Ingabire initially sought to overthrow the government through armed means but later turned to non-violent methods after that approach failed, including efforts to create unrest among the population.
Ingabire rejected that characterization, saying she believes political change should be achieved peacefully and through democratic principles.
'As a politician, a mother and a Christian, I believe that the appropriate way to change a government is through means that do not involve bloodshed and that respect democratic principles,' she told the court.
The prosecution has also raised allegations concerning training sessions attended mainly by people associated with DALFA Umurinzi. The sessions were presented as English-language training, but prosecutors allege they were intended to support a plan to overthrow the government.
According to the prosecution, Nsabimana Sylvain led a group of participants in Rwanda, while a woman identified as Assumpta, who lives in Switzerland, led another group abroad. It alleged that Ingabire coordinated the two groups.
Ingabire disputed the alleged links to DALFA Umurinzi, saying participants had told the court they attended the sessions in their individual capacities.
She also referred to testimony by prosecution witness Boniface Nzabandora during an earlier hearing, which she said supported that account.
Ingabire told the court there was no evidence linking the 26 participants to DALFA Umurinzi and no evidence that she attended or was involved in the training sessions.
The court adjourned the case until October 1, when Ingabire is expected to continue presenting her defence.
Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/ingabire-denies-links-to-kayumba-nyamwasa-led-p5-coalition/
