Free Kizito Mihigo

The Campaign

Kizito Mihigo was one of Rwanda's most beloved gospel singers, a survivor of the 1994 genocide who lost his family and became a national symbol of reconciliation. In April 2014 he was arrested and accused of conspiring against the government, reportedly on the basis of private online exchanges. In February 2015 a court sentenced him to 10 years in prison in a trial widely criticised as politically motivated.

Why It Matters

Mihigo's real offence was to sing about reconciliation in ways the regime could not control, and to express compassion for all victims of the genocide, including Hutu victims. His arrest sent a clear message: no public figure, however beloved, is permitted to step outside the regime's official narrative.

Our Demands

The Global Campaign for Rwandans' Human Rights called for his immediate and unconditional release, recognition of his status as a prisoner of conscience, and independent international scrutiny of his trial.

Update

Kizito Mihigo was pardoned in 2018 but never allowed his freedom: he remained under surveillance and restricted in his movements. In February 2020 he died in police custody in Kigali, in circumstances the authorities described as suicide but which independent observers have found deeply troubling. The campaign for the truth about his death continues. Silence has never been consent, and Kizito Mihigo's voice will not be silenced by his death.