President Kagame's doctor mysteriously killed in police cell
Details of how former President Paul Kagame's cardiologist doctor was killed in a police cell in Kigali on Wednesday evening remain developing as investigations by police to establish why he was killed continue.
A relative who spoke to Great Lakes Voice but requested to remain anonymous described the death of Kagame's former physician Dr Gasakure Emmanuel as highly shocking and also questioned the police's version which says the deceased was killed while trying to disarm a policeman.
"There should be an independent investigation into this issue and whoever behind his death be brought to justice," the relative said.
At Police headquarters, Police Spokesperson Chief Supt Celestin Twahirwa said Dr Gasakure had asked for permission to go out for short call but on his way out of cell, he instead assaulted a police officer on guard and tried to disarm him.
According to police, in the ensuing scuffle between the deceased and the guard, the deceased was fatally wounded while the police officer sustained serious injuries. Police said that he was shot three times on the shoulder, chest and the ribs. His body was taken to the Kigali Central Hospital mortuary.
Police said the incident took place on 25th Feb. 2015 shortly after 6:30 p.m, at Remera Police Station in Kigali. Efforts by Great Lakes Voice to visit or speak to the police officer whom the force says was assaulted by the deceased were in futile as Police Spokesperson said this was not allowed.
Police Spokesperson said our readers ought to believe the official version of the police. Asked whether the assaulted police officer was still hospitalized, the police spokesperson become tight- lipped.
The deceased had been arrested Monday 23 February, 2015 and held into police custody over offenses that include illegal entry on other person's property, causing damage to property, illegal confinement and issuing threats. Police said that his arrest had stemmed from his apparent assault on Bizimungu Jean Damascene the owner of Chapter One pub in Kimihurura and detained him at his house after complaining that the pub music was too loud and affecting his sleep. His was a neighbor to the pub.
Dr Gasakure worked as president's physician for many years and sources at president's office say he was suspended at the beginning of this year. An official at Urugwiro Village [president's office] who preferred anonymity said that Dr Gasakure was suspended because of misconduct.
He was one of the few specialized heart surgeons in Rwanda and previously worked at the medical school at the University of Rwanda.
His name first appeared in the media in 2011 December after some documents reportedly belonging to Rwanda's presidential entourage that had accompanied President Paul Kagame to Uganda for the Christmas holidays were stolen at a tourist lodging facility in Kasese.
President Kagame, his wife Jeannette, children Ange, Brian and Ian had visited Uganda and hosted by President Museveni and his wife Janet.
The motive of the theft was not readily established though documents reportedly belonging to Rwanda's presidential entourage missing attracted media headlines in Kampala.
At the time, some security sources told the media in Kampala that the stolen documents, which reportedly included some electronics, belonged to President Kagame.
Other sources from Kigali in told Daily Monitor, a Ugandan daily newspaper that the said stolen property belonged to President Kagame's personal doctor, Dr Gasakure.
At the time, three people in Uganda were arrested by the police in Kasese on Boxing Day in relation to missing documents. The suspects were all employees of Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park where the incident happened.
