Pregnant British woman appears in Rwandan court accused of spreading state secrets to undermine the president 

  • Violette Uwamahoro, a youth worker, also accused of forming an armed group
  • Her political activist husband says she's being 'targeted' because of his views
  • She was arrested on Valentine's Day going to father's funeral and held illegally
  • Mother-of-two, of Leeds, has denied all charges at a bail hearing on Thursday  

A pregnant British woman has appeared in Rwandan court after being charged with revealing state secrets to undermine the president Paul Kagame.

Violette Uwamahoro has also been accused of forming an armed group and offence against the established government.

The Leeds-born youth worker, who is five months pregnant with her third child, denied all the charges at a bail hearing on Thursday.

Her husband Faustin Rukundo, an exiled opposition activist, believes she is being 'targeted' because of his political views and fears that her trial is fixed.

British youth worker Violette Uwamahoro has appeared in Rwandan court after being charged with revealing state secrets to undermine the president
Mrs Uwamahoro was arrested on Valentine's Day in the capital Kigali after travelling to Rwanda for her father's funeral

British youth worker Violette Uwamahoro has appeared in Rwandan court after being charged with revealing state secrets to undermine the president

Mrs Uwamahoro disappeared on Valentine's Day in the capital Kigali after travelling to Rwanda for her father's funeral.

It emerged that she was arrested on February 14 and illegally held without access to lawyers or her family for two weeks.

Her relatives had no idea what had happened to her until police revealed on March 3 that she was in custody, according to Amnesty International. 

She will return to a Rwandan court on Monday.

The human rights charity said Ms Uwamahoro was initially refused access to lawyers and was not allowed to speak to her family for two weeks.

Her husband Faustin Rukundo, an exiled opposition activist, believes she is being 'targeted' because of his political views and fears that her trial is fixed (pictured together)

Her husband Faustin Rukundo, an exiled opposition activist, believes she is being 'targeted' because of his political views and fears that her trial is fixed (pictured together)

The Leeds-born youth worker, who is five months pregnant with her third child, has also been accused of forming an armed group and offence against the established President Paul Kagame (pictured)

The Leeds-born youth worker, who is five months pregnant with her third child, has also been accused of forming an armed group and offence against the established President Paul Kagame (pictured)

Her husband Mr Rukundo said he has not spoken to his wife since she was arrested five weeks ago. He expressed fears that he trial is not fair.

'I can tell you the outcome of this trial even before it gets going,' he told the BBC.

'Finding her guilty is a foregone conclusion, especially as Rwanda's justice system is not independent, with any lawyer doing properly his job risking being disbarred.'

Her husband Mr Rukundo said he has not spoken to his wife since she was arrested five weeks ago. He expressed fears that he trial is not fair

Her husband Mr Rukundo said he has not spoken to his wife since she was arrested five weeks ago. He expressed fears that he trial is not fair

Mr Rukundo, who is involved with the Rwandan National Congress opposition group, said he is still waiting to hear back from the British government about aid.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office confirmed his wife is now 'receiving consular support'.

She said: 'As soon as we were made aware of Ms Uwamahoro's disappearance we made contact with the Rwandan authorities and set out our concerns.

'We can now confirm that Ms Uwamahoro has access to a lawyer and is receiving consular support.' 

Sarah Jackson, of Amnesty International, said: 'Violette Uwamahoro was illegally held without access to lawyers or her family for more than two weeks.

'This is an unacceptable breach of Rwandan and international law. People who know her say that Violette is not involved in politics at all.

'Her husband believes that she is being targeted because of his political activities. 

The couple live in Leeds and have been in the UK for a number of years. Mr Rukundo was given nationality in 2014.