The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urgently called for an independent and credible investigation into the death of Rwandan YouTube commentator Aimable Karasira Uzaramba. Karasira, 48, died on Wednesday, the very day he was scheduled to be released from prison after completing his five-year sentence.

According to a statement from the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), Karasira passed away at Nyarugenge hospital in the capital, Kigali. The RCS attributed his death to an overdose of his prescribed medication and stated that it was awaiting a post-mortem report. An RCS spokesperson further informed The New Times newspaper and local broadcaster TV One that Karasira ingested the medication after completing his pre-release procedures from prison, subsequently being transported to the hospital where he died around midnight.

Muthoki Mumo, CPJ Africa Program Coordinator, expressed profound dismay over the incident. "Aimable Karasira Uzaramba's death in state custody on the day he was expected to finally walk free is devastating," Mumo stated. She emphasized that Rwandan authorities have significant questions to answer, particularly in light of past allegations that Karasira was subjected to torture during his incarceration and given the unjust nature of his five-year detention. The CPJ's call for an independent and credible inquiry aims to ascertain the precise circumstances and reasons behind Karasira's death.

Karasira was arrested in May 2021 and subsequently sentenced in September 2025 to five years in prison on charges of inciting divisions. A former university lecturer, Karasira gained prominence through his YouTube channel, Ukuri Mbona (The Truth as I See it), and frequently appeared on other YouTube platforms. Through these channels, he consistently voiced criticism of the government and challenged official narratives surrounding the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

An ethnic Tutsi who lost family members during the genocide, in which at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed, Karasira faced severe charges. Authorities initially accused him of genocide denial, genocide justification, causing unrest, and inciting divisions related to his commentary. However, in September 2025, the courts acquitted him of all charges except for inciting divisions.

Throughout his detention, Karasira alleged that he was assaulted and deliberately deprived of sleep and necessary medical treatment. He also suffered from mental health problems, leading his lawyers to repeatedly argue that he was medically unfit to stand trial. Courts ordered at least three medical examinations, which produced conflicting opinions regarding his fitness. The most recent assessment, conducted in 2023, concluded that he was indeed fit to stand trial.

Karasira's death underscores the precarious state of media freedom in Rwanda. He was one of five journalists, four of whom are YouTubers, incarcerated in the country. Rwanda has a documented history of unlawful killings, transnational repression, and severe restrictions on media freedom. In CPJ's latest annual prison census, released on December 1, 2025, Rwanda was identified as the second-worst jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, tying with Ethiopia and Niger.

This incident also evokes comparisons to the suspicious death of gospel musician Kizito Mihigo, who died in police custody in 2020. Authorities claimed Mihigo strangled himself, but Human Rights Watch described his death as "suspicious," noting that it remains unexplained more than six years later. On May 7, CPJ's attempts to solicit comments from the Rwanda Correctional Service via phone, email, and messaging app went unanswered.