The Supreme Court in Rwanda has upheld a law which says it is a crime to insult the president, by ruling against a petition that had been filed challenging the said law.
The law which criminalizes ‘insulting the president’ was introduced last year, effectively meaning that anyone who insults President Paul Kagame faces between five and seven years in prison.
Lawyer Richard Mugisha petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the Law, arguing that it was an unconstitutional piece of legislation that undermined freedom of expression.
Now the Supreme Court has ruled that the law should remain, due to the responsibility that the office holds.
The same court ruled that a law which prohibits writing articles or drawing cartoons that humiliate MPs, ministers or other government officials should be annulled
Mr Mugisha had also argued that articles which criminalised adultery should be scrapped, and the Supreme Court rejected that appeal too.