Police in Rwanda have confirmed they have arrested a prominent opposition leader, Diane Rwigara. Her mother and sister have also been detained.
The police previously denied they had been arrested.
Ms Rwigara and members of her family have not been seen since Tuesday last week.
She has been accused of using forged signatures when she was gathering support for this year’s presidential campaign.
Ms Rwigara, 35, was disqualified from running in last month’s election, which the incumbent Paul Kagame won with more than 98% of the vote.
A statement from the police said they had “applied the warrant against Adeline Rwigara, Diane Rwigara and Anne Rwigara as stipulated in article 48 of the criminal procedural law.”
They further confirmed that the accused have been sent to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) after they refused to respond to three summons as stated by the law.
She has repeatedly accused Kagame of stifling dissent and criticised his Rwandan Patriotic Front’s near total hold on power.
Police also confirmed that the family’s tobacco business was under investigation for tax evasion. According to the Rwanda Revenue Authority’s Commissioner General, Richard Tusabe, the Rwigara family’s tobacco company had not paid taxes “over a period of five years.”
A group formed by Diane Rwigara, the People Salvation Movement – Itabaza, called on Rwandans to rise up and tell the president that enough is enough. The group issued a statement late last week calling for her immediate and unconditional release from detention.
‘… we are calling to all Rwandans from North, South, East and West of the Country to stand up and voice their anger against the injustice, oppression and to ask for the political and economic security. Rwandans should stand up and tell the government that enough is enough and fight for their rights,’ the statement read.
The statement signed by one Raymond Kayitare, a media and communication assistant, was posted on Rwigara’s known twitter handle. It was largely critical of the Kagame regime describing it as oppressive and authoritarian.
