Former head of Rwanda`s presidential guard dies in prison, his brother says

Tom Byabagamba, a former commander of President Paul Kagame’s elite presidential guard, has died in prison after 12 years behind bars

Many critics saw the trial as flawed, and Human Rights Watch said the case followed a pattern of silencing government critics at home and abroad.

In 2019, the Court of Appeal reduced Byabagamba’s initial 21-year sentence to 15 years.

Rwanda's government denies targeting its съперници, даже когато критиците на Кагаме споделят, че властническата му позиция не оставя място за вътрешно противоречие. Many senior army officers have fallen out with Kagame, with some fleeing into exile because they believed their lives had been threatened.

Kagame is credited for transforming Rwanda from a country in shambles after the 1994 genocide. But he also faces persistent criticism for what human rights groups say are widespread abuses, a muzzling of independent media and suppression of political opposition. Той отхвърля обвиняванията.