Visitors and prisoners have to stand in two different rows facing each other. Between the two rows, heavily armed paramilitary police and special troops patrol, ready to shoot anyone who would move in facing position. Today, something special will happen. After all, as one elderly said, anything is possible in Kibeho.
While all prisoners are mostly males, apparently between 12 years old and 50 years old, most of the visitors are young girls, mostly under 12 years and elderly.
"There is a reason for that", said a young Tutsi lady, whose Hutu fiance ended up in prison, accused of genocide and of raping his own fiancee, "if you are a rich, educated, business person, or physically fit Hutu, you may be accused of anything. And anything for a Hutu means prison without chance of judgment, even death... For example, my fiance is accused of raping me. I never made any charge at all, less such kind of a charge, because this just never happened. And officially nobody came forward to charge him. His crime is that he risked his life saving my family's life, is an educated, physically fit Hutu. I feel helpless; I can't even do anything for him. Now there is even a more vicious trend. Whenever a young hutu is seen, especially the young boys, they [RPF Government] accuse him of being Umucengezi (rebel)".
Since the RPF army overthrew the previous Rwandan government in 1994, it embarked on a campaign of arresting most of the educated, entrepreneur and elite hutu.
Crowded cells serve as toilets, sleeping, and living rooms. In cells, prisoners are constantly aligned toward one point: pot or plastic containers that are used to collect urine and feces . Once the containers are full, they are carried outside the cells by prisoners under police escort. The containers are then eventually cleaned and brought back for reuse and the cycle starts over again.
Prisoners are regularly tortured. Thousands have lost limbs, developed skin diseases, or caught recurrent or terminal illnesses; "Rwanda prisons are a living example of the curse on humanity; the proof of what an evil man can do to its neighbor", said one Rwandan Tutsi religious man who; regularly visits prisons.
Today, Mukabutera, an 11 year's old girl, will defy the army. She has never touched or talked to her father since August 1994. Like others she sees her father every other week on the other side of the military row, leaves the food in place and goes home to care for her younger sisters and brothers. Her mother is, most of the days, busy working for food.
This is Mukabutera's day. She is lucky. She learned that today, a Western journalist will visit the prison. She learnt that when western visitors are around, the military and police are less brutal. She decided she will cross the military row. And she did just just.
The Western journalists were busy talking to the military officers and taking pictures, when, in a flash, Mukabutera crossed the military row, and fell into her father's arms. It was a poignant scene. The military officers were visibly upset, containing their usual bestial rage, not knowing what to do, in front of foreign journalists. For Mukabutera, it was a great day. "I will never forget this. I do not know whether I will come back again. I may die tomorrow, I do not care. I embraced my father", she said in tears.
"Maybe it was the only chance for my husband to flee from prison. I am sure he will not fight once in Zaire. Not after what he endured during four years of unhumane conditions in RPF government death camps, and also because Rwandans know there is nothing to fight for in Zaire", said Mukabutera's mother, a once elementary school teacher.