A popular Rwandan musician has been found dead in the police cell following his arrest last week.
Kizito Mihigo, regarded by many as an important cultural figure, was said to have murdered himself while in detention.
The official account of a suicide has been rejected as the leadership of the country is notable for frequently accusing and targeting perceived critics.
Mihigo, an ethnic Tutsi who survived the 1994 genocide against his community, was arrested last week for trying to leave Rwanda and join anti-government militant groups.
“He was being held in a police cell while officers investigated his alleged attempt to illegally cross the border into neighbouring Burundi,” John Bosco Kabera, police spokesman, said.
Lewis Mudge, central Africa directors at Human Rights Watch, called for an investigation that would examine the possibility that Mihigo could have been ill-treated or killed in custody.
“Too often, sensitive cases in Rwanda result in mysterious deaths or disappearances,” he said.
Mihigo – whose music explores issues around the Rwanda genocide – had previously been jailed for conspiracy to murder or harm Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, and other top officials.
