Rwanda has lashed out at human rights watchdogs claiming that it has competent and qualified institutions to carry out professional investigations into the death of popular gospel singer Kizito Mihigo.
Mihigo, critical of the government died Monday night in police custody following his arrest three days earlier for attempting to flee the country through a porous border to Burundi.
Police said in a statement he had committed suicide.
Human rights agencies then called on Rwanda to allow an impartial inquiry and remove doubts about the circumstances under which Mihigo died, according to Rwanda Today.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement shortly after his death saying the official account of a suicide was “expected to be met with scepticism” and called for an investigation to examine the possibility that Mihigo could have been “ill-treated or killed during custody.”
“With the death of Kizito Mihigo in custody, an urgent investigation is needed into the official claim that it was a suicide,” HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth said.
“There must be no whitewash. The investigation should establish all the facts, including the possible involvement of others and whether prison practices and conditions caused or contributed to Kizito Mihigo’s death.”
His call was swiftly followed by another from Harriet Mathews, the Director for Africa at the UK Foreign Office, who said, “we await prompt, independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his death by the Rwandan authorities.”
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) also chimed in. “An impartial and independent inquiry is needed in accordance with the procedure established by law,” said Alison Duxbury, Chairperson of CHRI’s International Advisory Commission.
“What those watchdogs are saying is simply their wishes but we have competent and independent organs that can do that,” Ms Marie Michelle Umuhoza, Spokesperson of Rwanda Investigative Bureau told The East African.
“Besides that, Rwanda is a sovereign country and the investigations are being carried out in private as the law on criminal procedure requires.”
Mihigo was in 2015 convicted to 10 years in prison for conspiring to assassinate the president and for attempting to collaborate with rebel groups. He was released on a presidential pardon after serving three years.
Mihigo’s relatives have been holding vigils since Monday. The burial is set for Saturday.
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