The High Court of Kigali has concluded the hearing on the appeal filed by the prosecution regarding the acquittal of Ishimwe Dieudonné, also known as Prince Kid, who was organizing the Miss Rwanda beauty pageant. The prosecution believes that the crimes of forced sexual exploitation of some of the girls who participated in the competition deserve punishment and that the evidence provided by them was ignored by the Nyarugenge High Court.
The defendant denies the charges against him, and his side argues that the evidence provided by the prosecution is baseless. Some of the girls accused of being raped by Ishimwe denied in court that any crime had been committed against them and even signed a document in front of a notary certifying that they were not abused by him.
However, the prosecution argues that the document made in front of a notary does not prove that no crime has occurred, especially as forced sexual intercourse does not take place in public. The prosecution also claims that the audio evidence of Prince Kid asking for “fun” for one of the girls participating in Miss Rwanda was not recognized by the High Court. Ishimwe believes that the voice is his, but it has been altered.
After a long debate on this, the court has asked the prosecution to bring the original audio for further examination. The prosecution claims that the evidence of one of the girls who confirmed that she was forcibly raped by Prince Kid during the Covid-19 ‘Stay at Home’ period was ignored. The defendant and his side argued that what the girl said contradicted the evidence of what she saw in Prince Kid’s house, which proves that she is guilty.
The prosecution confirms that Ishimwe sexually harassed some of the Miss Rwanda contestants and molested those who promised them victory or other benefits in the competition. The competition has been suspended by the Ministry of Culture since last year.
Ishimwe was imprisoned in May 2022 and acquitted in December of the same year. When asked to make a final statement before the court closed the case, he claimed that the accusations against him were fabrications made by people who did not reveal the names of those who intended to harm him.
The court is set to announce its decision on the appeal case on June 30, 2023.
