The months leading up to the August 2010 presidential elections, which President Kagame won with 93% of the vote, were marked by a clampdown on freedom of expression through regulatory sanctions, restrictive laws and criminal defamation cases.
The Rwandan government has expressed a commitment to review laws which are used to criminalise criticism, but recent trials of journalists and opposition politicians suggest that Rwanda's critics still face prosecution and imprisonment.
Amnesty International is calling on President Kagame to allow opposition politicians, journalists and human rights defenders to express their views without fear for their safety.
