Rwanda closes thousands of churches and mosques after claiming code violations

In a move that is widely seen as a major blow to religious freedom, the government of Rwanda has closed more than 4,000 houses of worship over the past month for various infractions that include operating in substandard structures, “unhygienic conditions,” not meeting noise pollution standards and not having formally trained preachers.

The 4,200 churches and mosques have been closed on orders from President Paul Kagame’s government in a resumption of the crackdown on religious groups that started in 2018.