Tom Byabagamba, a former commander of Rwanda’s presidential guard who once served as one of President Paul Kagame’s personal bodyguards, has died in prison at 59, more than a decade after his arrest. His death has left his family without answers over what happened to him, while rights organisations that had followed his case for years have raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding his imprisonment.
Byabagamba was taken into custody in 2014 together with his brother-in-law Frank Rusagara, a retired brigadier-general and former secretary-general of Rwanda’s defence ministry. The pair were accused of "spreading rumours" and "tarnishing the image of the country and government".
Byabagamba consistently rejected the accusations during the court proceedings. He maintained that the claims brought against him had been made up.
His brother, David Himbara, told the BBC Great Lakes service that the family had not been able to establish what led to Byabagamba’s death.
"No-one was allowed to see him in all these years," Himbara said.
The case had attracted attention from rights groups, which viewed the prosecution of the two former officers as part of wider concerns over the treatment of political opponents and people critical of Rwanda’s government.
A military court found Byabagamba guilty in 2016 and sentenced him to 21 years behind bars. His punishment was later cut to 15 years after an appeal.
Rusagara was separately sentenced to 20 years in prison.
He died while in custody in March last year. Human Rights Watch described his passing as the "lonely death of a general", saying his family had not heard from him since 2014, shortly before his arrest.
The rights organisation said Rusagara’s relatives were later informed by authorities that he had been suffering from cancer.
Human Rights Watch had also raised serious concerns about the proceedings involving the two men, saying the convictions came after a "flawed trial" that was marked by "serious allegations of torture and witness tampering".
Freedom Now had earlier described the detention of Byabagamba and Rusagara as "arbitrary" and said it had "violated international law".
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Kagame’s administration of restricting political opposition and suppressing criticism of the government, including from people living outside Rwanda.
Byabagamba is survived by his wife and two sons.