Aimable Karasira
Lecturer and citizen journalist
Died in the hands of the prison system, 6 May 2026A popular lecturer turned citizen journalist, imprisoned for nothing more than his YouTube commentary on Rwandan politics, who died in the state's hands on the very day he was due to walk free after five years in prison.
Aimable Karasira was a lecturer and citizen journalist who became one of Rwanda's most popular online commentators. Through his YouTube channel he spoke about the realities of life in Rwanda that state media will never show: poverty, injustice, corruption and the fear that silences ordinary citizens.
For his commentary he was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to seven years in prison. His trial was political. His real offence was his audience: the many Rwandans, at home and in the diaspora, who listened to him.
According to the Rwanda Correctional Service, Karasira died at Nyarugenge hospital in Kigali on 6 May 2026, after an overdose of his prescribed medication, on the very day he was due to walk free after five years behind bars. We do not accept the official account. A critic of the regime dying in the state's hands on the day of his release demands independent scrutiny, not blind trust.
His death forms part of a pattern of deaths in custody of the regime's critics, from Kizito Mihigo to Anene Karara. We demand an immediate, independent and international investigation into the circumstances of his death, and accountability wherever the evidence leads.
History
2021
Arrested and imprisoned for his YouTube commentary on Rwandan politics.
2022
Sentenced to seven years in prison.
6 May 2026
Dies at Nyarugenge hospital, according to the Rwanda Correctional Service after an overdose of his prescribed medication, on the very day he is due to be released. We demand an independent investigation.
Campaigns & Statements
Our campaigns, statements and reports connected to Aimable Karasira.
Our Statement on the Death of Aimable Karasira
The Global Campaign for Rwandans' Human Rights mourns Aimable Karasira, who died in the hands of the Rwandan prison system on the very day of his release, and demands an independent investigation into his death.
Free Aimable Karasira
A campaign for the release of lecturer and citizen journalist Aimable Karasira, imprisoned for YouTube videos in which he criticised government officials and spoke about Rwandan politics.