In Rwanda, the newspaper The Chronicles announces the death of its editor, John Williams Ntwali, victim according to the police of a road accident on the night of January 18. The circumstances of the fatal accident for one of the most openly critical Rwandan journalists of the authorities, raise questions from some organizations.
With our correspondent in Kigali, Lucie Mouillaud
According to a police spokesman, quoted in local media, John Williams Ntwali died on January 18 in the night after an accident between a motorcycle and a car in the Kimihurura district of Kigali. Passenger of the motorcycle, the journalist is said to have died on the spot, and the driver of the vehicle arrested immediately and placed in police custody.
UPDATE: According to Traffic Police Spokesman, Ntwali died in an accident on January 18, at 02:50 am in Kimihurura, as a result of over speeding between a vehicle and a moto taxi. Ntwali was the passenger on a motorcycle. He died instantly. pic.twitter.com/Op3TBGqrEe
— The Chronicles (@ChroniclesRW) January 20, 2023
A version of events that raises questions from some organizations.
In a statement, Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director of Human Rights Watch, says there are ” many reasons to question the car accident theory “. He asks for a fast and efficient investigation based on international expertise “.
2/2 The car accident theory could be questioned for many reasons and it is essential that a quick and effective investigation, drawing on international expertise, is carried out to determine if he was murdered or not. @hrw_en #Rwanda
— Lewis Mudge (@LewisMudge) January 20, 2023
John Williams Ntwali joins, according to him, “ a long list of people who defied the government and died in suspicious circumstances“.
1/ Ntwali was a lifeline to many of his victims of human rights abuses & often the only journalist who dared to report on political repression. He joins a long list of people who defied the govt & died in suspicious circumstances @hrw_en
— Lewis Mudge (@LewisMudge) January 20, 2023
For its part, the government says it does not comment on an ongoing legal case.
Chief media editor The Chroniclesthe journalist had also created the YouTube channel Pax TV where he broadcast interviews with dissident voices. Imprisoned multiple times during his career, he regularly denounced the arrests of other journalists or bloggers in Rwanda.