John Williams Ntwali
Investigative journalist, The Chronicles
Died in unexplained circumstances, 31 January 2023Widely described as Rwanda's last independent journalist. He spent years being harassed for his reporting and died in Kigali in circumstances the authorities refuse to have independently investigated.
John Williams Ntwali was an investigative journalist, the editor of The Chronicles and the driving force behind the Kigali Today news channel. He was widely described as the last independent journalist in Rwanda, and he earned that description through years of reporting the state could not tolerate: on poverty, on injustice, on the private wealth of the ruling elite.
He paid a personal price for his work. Over the years he was summoned, questioned and detained repeatedly in retaliation for his reporting. His readers trusted him because he was one of the very few who kept asking the questions that power refuses to answer.
On 31 January 2023 he died in Kigali. The authorities say he was struck by a vehicle in a road accident. Very few Rwandans believe them. His death, days after he appeared in court, is entirely consistent with a pattern every Rwandan recognizes: critics of the government die in unexplained circumstances while the authorities close the file and warn the public not to ask questions. We demand an independent, transparent and internationally supervised investigation into his death.
History
Years of harassment
Repeatedly summoned, questioned and detained over the years in retaliation for his reporting on poverty, injustice and the wealth of the ruling elite.
31 January 2023
Dies in Kigali. The authorities say he was struck by a vehicle in a road accident. Very few Rwandans believe them.
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