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Rwandan YouTuber Aimable Karasira Dies in Hospital on Day of Scheduled Prison Release
Aimable Karasira Uzaramba, 48, died at Nyarugenge hospital in Kigali on 8 May 2026 after overdosing on prescribed medication, according to the Rwanda Correctional Service. He had completed pre-release procedures that day at the end of a five-year sentence. The Committee to Protect Journalists and others called for an independent inquiry.
May 8, 12:32 PM·2m read1 source
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Aimable Karasira Uzaramba died on Wednesday 8 May 2026 at Nyarugenge hospital in Kigali, the Rwanda Correctional Service said. The 48-year-old YouTube commentator was scheduled for release from prison that day at the end of a five-year sentence. An RCS spokesperson told The New Times and TV One that Karasira ingested his prescribed medication after completing pre-release procedures, was taken to hospital and died around midnight.
The Rwanda Correctional Service stated that Karasira died after overdosing on his prescribed medication. It said it was awaiting a post-mortem report on his death. AllAfrica reported these details from the RCS account.
"Aimable Karasira Uzaramba's death in state custody on the day he was expected to finally walk free is devastating," said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ Africa Program Coordinator. " Mumo called for an independent, credible inquiry to find out how and why Karasira died. Karasira was arrested in May 2021.
In September 2025 he was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of inciting divisions. A former university lecturer, he published commentary on his YouTube channel Ukuri Mbona, or The Truth as I See it, and frequently appeared on other YouTube channels where he criticized the government and official narratives of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Karasira was an ethnic Tutsi who lost relatives in the genocide, in which at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.
Authorities charged him with genocide denial, genocide justification, causing unrest and inciting divisions in connection with his commentary. Courts acquitted him of all charges except inciting divisions in September 2025. The YouTuber alleged he was assaulted and denied sleep and medical treatment during detention.
