Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been refused bail for the third time. The Kigali Supreme Court ruled Friday that Ingabire has to stay in prison for another 30 days, before she can apply for bail again.

Her legal team will appeal the court’s decision in a separate suit that will be decided upon in the first week of December.

Public prosecutor Bonaventure Ruberwa is happy with the courts’ ruling. “We are trying to submit our case to the Court in the coming month, but I can’t confirm that we will succeed in that”, Ruberwa said. 

Ingabire’s lawyer Ian Edwards is disappointed. “It’s curious why the prosecution feels that they have enough evidence to ask for an extension of her custody, for nothing less than 30 days” he tells Radio Netherlands.
“But at the same time, they are not ready to submit this evidence to the court.” He confirms that there is a possibility to appeal the Court’s decision, and that this process will be followed.

Ingabire is the head of the United Democratic Forces, an opposition party formed in exile but not registered. She lived in The Netherlands for 16 years, and returned to Rwanda in January of 2010. On October 14 she was arrested for the second time this year. She faces charges that include collaborating with a terrorist group and propagating ethnic division.