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Rwanda hip-hop artist Jay Polly dies in police custody: What you need to know
Popular Rwandan rapper Jay Polly, whose real name was Joshua Tuyishime died in police custody early Thursday. He was held on drugs charges and was expected to go on trial in December this year.
The 33-year-old singer was taken to Muhima hospital in the capital city of Kigali at around 3 am. The Director of the hospital Pascal Nkubito said, "He was in a bad shape and unresponsive. Doctors tried to revive him but he, unfortunately, died shortly after. The cause of death is not something I want to speculate about. We will know that after the post-mortem.”
This is the third suspicious death in less than 2 years in police custody. Last year director-general in Kagame's office was found dead in a military jail after being sentenced to 10 years for corruption. Also, last February, Kizito Mihigo was found dead in his cell, just days after he was caught trying to flee the country.
Jay Polly was arrested in April this year for hosting a party and violating the COVID-19 restrictions. Police said that the attendants were using drugs and possessed fake COVID-19 certificates.
Many Human rights groups have accused Kagame's regime of summary executions, unlawful arrests, and torture in custody.