“A mockery of press freedom”: Belgian journalist refused entry to Rwanda for cycling world championships after “critical reporting” on authoritarian regime

A Belgian journalist has reportedly been denied entry to Rwanda ahead of the upcoming UCI road world championships in Kigali, a decision he believes stems from his “critical reporting” on the East African country’s authoritarian government.

Stijn Vercruysse, a journalist who specialises in Africa for Flemish public broadcaster VRT, says he was stopped at the check-in desk at Brussels airport on Thursday morning and told that the Rwandan government has “forbidden the airline from letting me on the plane”.

This year’s road world championships in Kigali, which will start on Sunday with the elite men’s and women’s individual time trials, marks the first time in its 104-year history that the UCI’s blue riband event will take place in Africa.

The world championship’s historic first visit to Africa has been hailed by many as an indicator of the success of African riders over the past decade and cycling’s belated globalisation policies, with UCI president David Lappartient promising to take the event to the continent as part of his election manifesto.

Rwanda, where the bike remains for many the primary method of transport, has a long history of cycling and, the UCI says, was chosen to host the worlds due to its passion for the sport. The Tour du Rwanda stage race attracts over a million spectators to the roadside every year, a number that is likely to be exceeded over the coming week.

And with African riders Biniam Girmay and Kim Le Court lighting up the Tour de France in recent years, it is hoped that the Kigali worlds will continue this upward trajectory and inspire the next generation of cyclists in Africa.

In many respects, the sporting significance of the first African world championships pales in comparison to its societal importance for Rwanda, coming as it does just 31 years on from the horrors of the Rwandan genocide, when around 800,000 people were killed in the space of just three and a half months.

However, despite the optimism and sense of history associated with the world championships, the decision to stage one of cycling’s biggest events in Kigali has attracted criticism from human rights groups, who have accused the Rwandan government of using cycling and other sports to burnish – or sportswash – the country’s image on the world stage.

Rwanda’s authoritarian president Paul Kagame has proved a big fan of using sport for political gains, securing partnerships with the NBA basketball league and football clubs Bayern Munich and Arsenal, who play with ‘Visit Rwanda’ printed on their sleeves.

Meanwhile, Kagame – who led the rebel force that ended the genocide in 1994 – has ruled his country with an iron fist, with Rwanda ranking among the lowest nations in the world when it comes to government transparency and civil liberties.

The dictator has also been linked to several severe and systematic human rights abuses, both within Rwanda and beyond, during his time in power, including forced disappearances, torture, and the assassinations of political opponents.

Kagame has also helped fuel two wars in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, which have led to the deaths of over five million people. In January, a Rwanda-backed Congolese rebel group, the March 23 Movement (M23), launched a military offensive in the eastern part of DRC, capturing the city of Goma.

During the conflict, the UCI said it was “closely monitoring” the situation, though the governing body insisted that Rwanda itself remained “entirely safe for tourism and business”, ruling out relocating the world championships to Switzerland.

And while this year’s world championships have long been viewed as the latest sportswashing project to hit cycling, this week’s development at Brussels Airport perhaps underlines Kagame and his regime’s intent to control the narrative throughout the week ahead.

According to VRT, journalist Stijn Vercruysse, a specialist Africa reporter, was scheduled to travel to Rwanda on Thursday, to report on the event for the broadcaster’s news outlets.

Vercruysse was due to board a flight yesterday morning, alongside several other journalists, his camera crew, and members of the Belgian team, including Remco Evenepoel. The journalist had received his accreditation for the worlds from Rwandan Ministry of Sport through the UCI, authorising him to travel to the country. Or so it seemed.

At the check-in desk, Vercruysse was allegedly told he could not board his flight, according to the wishes of the Rwandan government.

“As a journalist, I’m not allowed to leave,” Vercruysse told his VRT colleagues from the airport. “The Rwandan government has forbidden the airline from letting me on the plane.”

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While he was given no official reason for the refusal, the Flemish journalist speculated that “it is probably related to my critical reporting on Rwanda in the past”.

Vercruysse has reported on Africa and Rwanda extensively over the years, and recently travelled to the DRC to cover the M23 rebels’ advance.

“We were planning to report critically on the host country, which ultimately has a very authoritarian regime,” he continued.

“We were going to tell the truth through nuanced reporting on the sidelines of the world championships. That won’t be possible now, and that perhaps says something about the authoritarian nature of the regime in Rwanda.”

When contacted by VRT, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it had got in touch with the Rwandan authorities, but “at the time, we didn’t receive any further explanation”.

“Since Rwanda is hosting this international sporting event and also hosting the Belgian cycling team, this entails special responsibilities. However, we are awaiting further clarification before making any substantive statement,” the ministry said.

Vercruysse isn’t the first VRT reporter to be banned from Rwanda, with colleague Peter Verlinden prohibited from entering the country for years.

“I suspect I am now also on the blacklist,” Vercruysse said.

“We regret that the Rwandan regime is denying our journalist access to the country,” Stijn Verhaaren, editor-in-chief of VRT NWS’s foreign affairs department, said in a statement.

“We have requested further explanations from the Rwandan government and are in discussions with the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite this incident, VRT NWS will continue to report critically on the host country in the coming weeks, in addition to our coverage of the world cycling championships.”

Meanwhile, the Flemish Association of Journalists (VVJ) condemned the decision to ban Vercruysse from Rwanda, claiming it represents a “mockery of press freedom”.

“Without explanation, this can only be interpreted as a form of intimidation and a signal against independent journalism,” Charlotte Michils, the VJJ’s general secretary, said on Friday afternoon.

“Sports reporting is inseparable from critical interpretation of the context in which it takes place.”

road.cc has contacted the UCI for comment.