Rwanda

Same-sex intimacy is not criminalized in Rwanda. However, the Human Rights First Rwanda Association, in a 2025 submission to the UN Human Rights Committee, highlighted ongoing law enforcement abuses affecting transgender persons. The submission notes that transgender individuals face heightened risks of harassment during identity checks, including reports of arbitrary arrests on grounds such as “vagrancy” or “public order” offenses. These practices have a disproportionate impact on transgender persons, increasing their vulnerability to discrimination, insecurity, and violations of their fundamental rights. Rainbow Migration reported in 2022 that the country is “now a source country for people seeking asylum in the UK based on their sexual orientation,” fleeing situations of arbitrary arrests, detention, and other forms of ill-treatment.

Although LGBTIQ organizations cannot register openly, activists are pushing for increased recognition and protection from abuse, and Rwandan activists held a public Pride event in 2021. In June 2024, the government of Rwanda adopted the NGO Law No. 058/2024. The legal framework contains provisions that raise concerns regarding potential limitations on the freedom of association for LGBTIQ organizations. Article 7, which requires NGOs to operate in accordance with “national values,” and Article 12, which grants the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) broad authority to register, monitor, and suspend NGOs for activities deemed “contrary to law or public order,” create an enabling environment for arbitrary or discriminatory limitations on the freedom of association for LGBTIQ groups.

The lived experience of LGBTIQ people is that many are forced to live in hiding due to widespread rejection, discrimination, and abuse. A study conducted in 2021 found that while the majority of Rwandans agreed with the statement that “It is important not to discriminate against LGBTQ+,” a much smaller percentage indicated that they personally “accept” LGBTQ+ people.