A prominent critic of the Rwandan government died from a suspected medication overdose on the day of his release from prison, authorities said Thursday.
Paul Kagame has long faced criticism from rights groups accusing his government of suppressing dissent and silencing opponents.
Aimable Karasira, a former lecturer at the University of Rwanda, was arrested in 2021 after criticising authorities on his YouTube channel.
A survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Karasira accused the Rwanda Patriotic Army of killing members of his family afterward.
The Nyanza High Court Chamber of International and Cross-Border Crimes sentenced him in September 2025 to five years imprisonment for “inciting divisions”.
Rwanda Correctional Service officials said Karasira consumed more medication than prescribed shortly before leaving custody, casting a shadow over his release day.
Prison spokesperson Hillary Sengabo told local media Karasira remained inside the prison compound while waiting for relatives to collect him.
Authorities said he had access to the medication because prison officials were preparing his release procedures that same day.
Officials added that medical examinations were continuing to determine the precise cause of death, leaving lingering questions behind prison walls.
Karasira’s lawyer, Felicien Gashema, said he was shocked by the death after meeting his client days earlier in apparently positive spirits.
Political analyst Louis Gitinywa demanded an independent investigation, warning that repeated unexplained deaths in custody were damaging Rwanda’s reputation.
The death revived memories of other government critics who died in detention, including gospel singer Kizito Mihigo in 2020.
Authorities previously described Mihigo’s death as suicide, while rapper Joshua Tuyishime reportedly died in prison after consuming dangerous substances.
Although Kagame is credited with restoring stability after the genocide, international observers continue criticising Rwanda’s human rights record and political restrictions.