Rights group calls for investigation after death of Rwanda govt critic in custody

Controversy is growing in Rwanda following the death in custody of a government critic, with rights groups and opposition figures calling for an independent investigation.

Aimable Karasira, a former lecturer at the University of Rwandadied on Wednesday from a drug overdose, according to Rwandan authorities.

Confirming the death, the Rwanda Correctional Service said Karasira was "taken to the hospital after consuming more than the recommended amount of medication prescribed by his doctor."

Prisons spokesperson Hillary Sengabo told local media Karasira "overdosed on his mental health medication just after he had been released but [was] still in the prison compound awaiting pick up by his family."

But Human Rights Watch called Karasira's death suspicious, saying Kigali bore the burden of proving he was not unlawfully killed.

The group said Karasira had been the victim harassment and persecution by the authorities for years.

A genocide survivor, had had accused the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) of killing members of his family in the immediate aftermath of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

The Nyanza High Court Chamber of International and Cross-Border Crimes sentenced him in September 2025 to five years imprisonment on charges of "inciting divisions", although he had been in jail since 2021.

Karasira's lawyer, Felicien Gashema, told AFP he was "shocked" by the death, particularly as his client had been in good spirits when he saw him on Monday, ahead of his release.

Lawyer and political analyst Louis Gitinywa called for an independent inquiry and for accountability.

He said the death was "a stain on the reputation of government."

Human Rights Watch said several deaths of detainees and high-profile political critics in state custody had gone unexplained by Rwandan authorities.

"The Rwandan government has a well-established track record of evading its obligation to ensure transparent and independent investigations into the deaths of detainees and high-profile political critics in state custody," it said in a statement.

It cited the 2020 death in a police cell of singer and government critic Kizito Mihigo.  He had been arrested only four days earlier as he tried to flee the country.

The government ruled Mihigo's death a suicide.