Victoire Ingabire, a renowned opposition activist in Rwanda, saw her son for the first time in 12 years on Wednesday night after the government prohibited her from leaving the country.
Rist Shimwa Muyizere, 19, who traveled from the Netherlands to see her, was her final child, and Ms. Ingabire said she was “very thrilled” to see her.
The leader of the opposition frequently disparages President Paul Kagame and the ruling coalition.
She cannot leave Rwanda without the approval of the government. She claims that she has been refused permission to leave the country.
In 2010 Ms. Ingabire, who had been living in exile in the Netherlands, came home to vote in the presidential race. After being accused of endangering state security and “belittling” the 1994 genocide—charges she claimed were politically motivated—she was taken into custody and prohibited from standing.
She was convicted and given a 15-year prison term, however, she was released in 2018 thanks to a presidential pardon.
The son who was in town recorded a song in Dutch in January about how much he missed his mother and how he hoped to see her again.
Ms. Ingabire shared a photo of herself and her son reuniting:
I am extremely happy that after 12 years I can finally meet my last born today! pic.twitter.com/Jr3IGtvatB
— Victoire Ingabire (@VictoireUmuhoza) October 12, 2022
