In April 2025, Morgan Garnhart (JD 2025), Madeline Prokop (JD 2026), and Alec Mayes (JD 2026), three students of the International Human Rights Center, submitted a parallel report for Rwanda’s fifth periodic review under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The report was jointly prepared by the IHRC and the non-profit organization Safe Friendly Society.
The report examined the marginalization of LGBT+ rights, focusing on discrimination, arbitrary detention, degrading treatment, and restrictions on freedom of expression and participation in public affairs, which come under the purview of the Covenant (Articles 2, 7, 9, 12, 14, 19, 25, 26). The report underscored Rwanda’s troubling reliance on vague laws targeting “deviant behavior” and “public morality,” which have resulted in the disproportionate arbitrary detention and degrading treatment of LGBT+ individuals for expressing their sexual orientation and gender identity. It highlighted the severe conditions in transit centers, including overcrowding, abuse, and lack of oversight, which disproportionately impact LGBT+ detainees and heighten their risk of violence and degrading treatment. Additionally, the report emphasized Rwanda’s lack of legal safeguards, failure to combat societal stigma, and exclusionary practices in public affairs. It recommended urgent reforms to repeal and revise vague domestic policies, improve detention standards, and implement anti-discrimination initiatives, highlighting the provision of inclusive practices to eradicate all forms of discrimination and violence against members of the LGBT+ community.
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