A Rwandan primary court on Monday ruled that the former CEO of Miss Rwanda beauty contest Ishimwe Dieudonné, known as ‘Prince Kid’, should be remanded in solitary confinement for 30 days while the investigation into his alleged sexual harassment continues.
Ishimwe was arrested over sexual abuse allegations last month.The Court said that, based on the strong reasons given by the prosecution, Ishimwe should be prosecuted in the interests of fair justice while the trial is at its root.
The suspect is charged with three counts of felony criminal mischief for sexually assaulting, soliciting or using sexual harassment.
As for the crime of coercion, the court ruled that there was no evidence that he had sexually assaulted a girl who had competed in the Miss Rwanda pageant or that he had been forced to drink alcohol, which should be the reason why he was not prosecuted.
Ishimwe has been the boss of Rwanda Inspiration Back Up since 2009.
Details indicate that suspect cornered at several occasions the contestants in Miss Rwanda pageants, promising then that he had the ability to help them sail through the competition and win the crown.
Following the incident, Rwanda’s ministry of Youth and Culture decided to suspend the beauty pangeant contest pending ongoing investigation
into alleged sexual assault by organisers.
Reacting to the incident, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said that even though the issue [of sextortion] was reported in Miss Rwanda, in
other institutions including in central government and in the army, sexual abuse is becoming a concern.
Speaking during a recent ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) – Inkotanyi congress, Kagame observed that this issue has even reached schools where teachers give marks for sex.
“It’s really bad and we should denounce it. But girls, women themselves should understand that men don’t own them,” he said.
CU/abj/APA