Kakwenza Rukirabashaija in Germany
Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was abducted from his home at the end of December 2021 by people without ID and uniform and without an arrest warrant. He was held captive for two weeks and severely tortured.
POATV Reporter 
German PEN Center is happy to welcome the persecuted Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija to Germany. This Wednesday, Rukirabashaija arrived safely here, he is under the care of friends and PEN.
Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was allegedly abducted from his home at the end of December 2021 by people without ID and uniform and without an arrest warrant. He was held captive for two weeks and severely tortured according to his own impressions.
He was then transferred to Kitalya Maximum Security Prison where he was later released on bail before he secretly sneaked out of the country.
Kakwenza with PEN International boss in Germany
In recent weeks, the German PEN Center has worked intensively for Rukirabashaija’s release. PEN President Deniz Yücel said today: "We are very happy that our commitment to our hon-orary member has come to a good end. When authoritarian regimes persecute prominent critics, it is never just about the individual, but always about intimidating entire societies. That is why we see our commitment to Rukirabashaija as a contribution to freedom of speech, in Uganda and around the world".
Yücel will bring Rukirabashaija to a safe place this Wednesday. He first needs medical care. Once he has sufficiently recovered from the immediate consequences of the torture, Rukirabashaija will speak out in public. PEN will continue to support him and include him as a fellow in its Writers-in-Exile program.
Story was written and published by PEN international.
