John Williams Ntwali

John Williams Ntwali (7 June 1979 – 18 January 2023) was a Rwandan investigative journalist. The founder of the YouTube news channel PAX TV – IREME News and editor of the independent newspaper The Chronicles, he often reported on human rights stories, and was critical of the Rwandan government. Having spoken previously about being threatened due to his journalism, on 17 January 2023, Ntwali was officially identified as being the victim of a road accident that had occurred the previous day; numerous human rights organisations and press associations have disputed this account and called for an investigation into whether he was murdered.

Personal life Ntwali was born in 1979 in Butare, Southern Province, Rwanda, the second of six children. In 2005, he graduated from the Adventist University of Central Africa in Kigali. He was married with one child at the time of his death.

Journalism career Before establishing himself as an independent journalist, Ntwali worked for several Rwandan media outlets, including City Radio, Radio Flash FM and IGIHE. In 2021, he became the editor-in-chief of The Chronicles. He previously founded an online magazine, IREME News, which he later turned into a YouTube channel under the name PAX TV – IREME News.

Death

Threats Ntwali had been arrested several times prior to his death as a result of his activism. Ntwali had previously investigated the death of Assinapol Rwigara, the father of presidential candidate Diana Rwigara, whose official cause of death had been as a result of a road accident. His investigation led to his website being blocked. In the lead-up to the 2017 presidential election, Ntwali was arrested on 29 January 2016 on charges of raping a minor. The charge was later changed to indecent assault, and on 9 February was dropped altogether due to a lack of evidence.

Ntwali had spoken publicly about threats he had received by the National Intelligence and Security Service, who had told him that something would happen to him following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali in June 2022, if he did not stop his investigative reporting. Ntwali was the sole fatality of the crash. The police confirmed that the vehicle's driver had been immediately arrested and was in their custody.

On 31 January, the driver, Moise Emmanuel Bagirishya, pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter, and issued an apology for speeding and for driving while fatigued. He was fined one million Rwandan francs.

Response by human rights organisations Following Ntwali's death, Human Rights Watch released a statement calling him "a lifeline for many victims of human rights violations and often the only journalist who dared reports on issues of political persecution and repression". They cast doubt over the official account that Ntwali had been killed in a road accident, and called on a prompt investigation to determine whether he had been murdered.

Following Bagirishya's conviction for vehicular manslaughter, Human Rights Watch criticised the trial for occurring behind closed doors, and pointed out that the Rwanda National Police had still not released an official police report, the exact location of the crash, and the details of any witness accounts or other individuals involved with the crash.