Rwanda presents itself as a stable and modernizing country, but independent journalism remains nearly impossible. The government of President Paul Kagame exerts tight control over the media, using legal restrictions, intimidation and surveillance to silence critical reporting. Journalists who challenge the official narrative face harassment, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, exile or death.
The few independent media outlets that once existed have been shut down or co-opted, while self-censorship is widespread. Online and in exile, some Rwandan journalists continue to report on repression, corruption, and the country’s role in regional conflicts, but they do so at great personal risk. The government actively pursues its critics abroad, using diplomatic pressure, cyber-harassment, and transnational repression.
Internationally, Rwanda projects the image of a progressive and open country, but its record on press freedom tells a different story. Independent journalism is effectively criminalized, leaving Rwandans with state-controlled narratives and little space for dissent.