A government critic dies in custody in Rwanda, drawing calls for an independent probe

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A Rwandan academic and government critic died in custody as he was set to be freed from jail, immediately raising concern from a prominent rights group that urged an investigation into the death of Aimable Karasira.

Karasira died on Wednesday after he took an overdose of his own medication, according to Rwandan authorities. Human Rights Watch questioned that account, urged the international community to pay attention, and called for a “body of experts” to conduct an independent probe.

“There are many reasons to question the circumstances surrounding Aimable Karasira’s death in custody, not least the years of harassment and persecution he experienced at the hands of the authorities,” the group's Clémentine de Montjoye said in a statement. “The government bears the burden of proving that Karasira was not unlawfully killed."

Karasira died at the Nyarugenge District Hospital in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. Hillary Sengabo, a spokesman for the Rwandan prison system, told The New Times newspaper of Rwanda that Karasira "took chunks of medicine which he had been prescribed for a preexisting condition.”

In 2020, Karasira released a video on his YouTube channel in which he discussed losing relatives during the 1994 genocide and in its aftermath — after the rebels who stopped the genocide had taken charge of Rwanda's government. Karasira later faced pressure from intelligence officials and threats from others he didn't know, according to Human Rights Watch, which has documented the case.

Karasira was arrested in 2021, charged with several crimes relating to genocide denial and sowing division. He was convicted of some offenses and acquitted of others.

“The prosecution appealed his acquittal on several charges, including genocide denial and justification, and demanded a 30-year sentence, which was pending at the time of his death,” said the statement by Human Rights Watch. “But as Karasira had already served four years of his five-year term awaiting trial, his sentence was nearing its end, and he was to be released on May 6.”

Michela Wrong, a British historian who has written a book about the alleged crimes of the Rwandan government, said the death of Karasira “says so much about Rwanda.”

"He told visitors he was being beaten and tortured," she said on social platform X. “Prison eventually proved a fatal experience, as for so many in Rwanda. Now he’s supposedly died of an overdose of his prescription medicine."

According to Human Rights Watch, Karasira’s death is reminiscent of the 2020 death in custody of singer and government critic Kizito Mihigo. The group said both men had the "moral authority" that resonated with the public and confounded officials.

The government of President Paul Kagame, whose party has ruled Rwanda since 1994, has tried to bridge ethnic divisions using legal means and other measures. He is also praised by many for presiding over relative peace and stability.

The government imposed a tough penal code to punish genocide and outlaw the ideology behind it, and Kagame has fostered a culture of obedience among his roughly 14 million people. Rwandan ID cards no longer identify a person by ethnicity and lessons about the genocide are part of the curriculum in schools.

Hundreds of community projects, backed by the government or civic groups, focus on uniting Rwandans and every April the nation joins hands in somber commemorations of the genocide anniversary.

But critics accuse Kagame of crushing all dissent. Many see him as the architect of an authoritarian regime that has stamped out virtually all opposition in Rwanda as opponents are jailed, flee, disappear or die under mysterious circumstances.