(Nairobi) – Rwandan authorities should conduct an effective, independent, and transparent investigation into the death in custody of Aimable Karasira, a Rwandan academic and outspoken government critic, on the day he was set to be released from prison, Human Rights Watch said today. Karasira’s prosecution and imprisonment are emblematic of Rwanda’s crackdown on dissent and free expression. His death adds to the list of disappearances and suspicious deaths of perceived critics and government opponents, and the authorities’ failure to deliver justice in these cases sends a deliberately chilling message. “There are many reasons to question the circumstances surrounding Aimable Karasira’s death in custody, not least the years of harassment and persecution he experienced at the hands of the authorities,” said Clémentine de Montjoye , senior Great Lakes researcher at Human Rights Watch.…