Alphonse Marie Nkubito

Alphonse Marie Nkubito

"In February 1997, Alphonse-Marie Nkubito, the founder of the first Rwandan human rights organization, the Rwandan Association for the Defense of Human Rights (Association rwandaise pour la defense des droits de l'homme, ARDHO), died suddenly. Authorities failed to investigate allegations that he had been murdered, leaving suspicions and fear among his colleagues and others. Soon after Nkubito's death, Abbe Andre Sibomana, president of the Rwandan Association for the Defense of Human Rights and Public Liberties (Association rwandaise pour la défense des droits de la personne et des libertés publiques, ADL) and Rosalie Mukarukaka, secretary general of ADL, were detained and interrogated by the police. Emmanuel Hitimana, a researcher for ARDHO was also detained for seven days in a communal jail and was warned to stop doing human rights work. Murengezi, who "disappeared" in January, was also a human rights activist."