Jacques Bihozagara (February 25, 1945 – March 30, 2016, age 71) was a Rwandan diplomat. He served as the Rwandan ambassador to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. He was a former Rehabilitation and Social Integration minister for the Rwandan government. In 1987, Bihozagara co-founded

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...

(RPF), which had a significant impact during the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

of 1994. After retiring due to failing health, he began to invest his pension in small-scale real estate projects and various small business ventures. __TOC__

Life after political career

After retiring from his political career, Bihozagara began a six year long attempt to become a citizen of

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

due to harassment and frustration caused by the regime in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

. His applications for citizenship were denied. It is presumed that the main factor in these denials was due to the fact that Bihozagara was not living in Burundi. Bihozagara then traveled to Burundi to conduct business and visit family. He owned assets and properties in

Arrest and death

In December 2015, Bihozagara was arrested on suspicion of espionage after weapons were found in his house in Kinindo. He died in a Burundi jail in March 2016. The events surrounding his death remain unclear, though it has been rumored that Bihozagara was assassinated, most likely by poisoning. Other prisoners detained in the same prison stated that Bihozagara was in fairly good health until the day of his death. He died only minutes after arriving at the prison infirmary. It took more than a week for an autopsy to be performed. After the autopsy, his body was returned to his family. Due to the condition of the body, which appeared to have deep bruises and visible scarring on his face, it is assumed that Bihozagara had been tortured. A full autopsy was not performed prior to his funeral. After further investigation, his assassination may have happened because South Africa had been requesting his relocation. Later, information was leaked to the Rwanda supreme leader,

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...

. The Burundi government tried to threaten Bihozagara’s family into signing documents ruling Bihozagara’s death to have been of natural causes, therefore immunizing the Burundi government from any responsibility for his death.

currently faces pressure by human rights activists over their treatment of political prisoners.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bihozagara, Jacques 1945 births 2016 deaths Rwandan politicians Rwandan people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Burundian detention Ambassadors of Rwanda to Belgium Ambassadors of Rwanda to France