The Rwandese government has withdrawn an appeal against the acquittal of opposition politician Diane Rwigara, who it accused of insurrection and forgery, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Rwigara was arrested alongside her mother ahead of Rwanda’s August 2017 presidential election.
The 37-year-old had declared her intention to run against President Paul Kagame before she was arrested and detained. She was later disqualified from vying.
Rwigara and her mother remained in detention for more than a year before they were released on bail in October 2018.
The two were acquitted on December 6, after which state prosecutors lodged an appeal against their release.
“We got an injunction from the ministry of justice and attorney general to withdraw the appeal. This is a constitutional injunction and the minster has the power to make that order, so we have written to the court to withdraw the appeal,” AFP quotes Faustin Nkusi, the spokesman for the National Public Prosecution Authority.
Rwigara’s court case drew international attention to the East African country and particularly President Kagame’s rule.
While he has been praised for leading Rwanda on a path of stability and economic transformation, President Kagame has often been criticized for alleged rights abuses and a crackdown on dissent.
