Unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and sexual violence were carried out, mainly against perceived political opponents. Freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly remained restricted; journalists and human rights defenders faced reprisals for their work....

On 30 March, the Court of Appeal of Mukaza in Bujumbura, Burundi held a hearing session on the case of Burundian journalist Floriane Irangabiye. She had appealed the 2 January decision of the High Court of Mukaza, which convicted her of the trumped-up charge of “undermining the integrity of the...

On 2 January, the High Court of Mukaza in Bujumbura, Burundi, sentenced journalist Floriane Irangabiye to 10 years in prison and a fine of one million Burundian francs (USD 482). She was convicted on trumped-up charges of “undermining the integrity of the national territory”. Her lawyers have...

29 September 2022 marked a year that the Court of Appeal of Ngozi upheld the conviction and five-year prison sentence of Burundian lawyer, Tony Germain Nkina. He was arrested on 13 October 2020, charged with endangering international state security, and convicted on 15 June 2021 for “collaborating...

On 29 September the Court of Appeal of Ngozi upheld the conviction and five-year prison sentence of Burundian lawyer, Tony Germain Nkina. He was arrested on 13 October 2020 and charged with endangering internal state security. He was convicted on 15 June for “collaborating with rebels who attacked...

Burundian lawyer Tony Germain Nkina was sentenced to five years in prison on 15 June by the High Court of Kayanza province, in northern Burundi. He was arrested on 13 October 2020 while visiting a client in Kabarore commune, in Kayanza, shortly after armed attacks in the area. He was charged with...

On 22 October 2019, four Burundian journalists – Agnès Ndirubusa, Christine Kamikazi, Egide Harerimana, and Térence Mpozenzi- were arrested when they went to Bubanza province to report on clashes between the security forces and an armed group. Although they were originally charged with complicity...

On 30 January, the Bubanza Tribunal in northern Burundi sentenced journalists Agnès Ndirubusa, Christine Kamikazi, Egide Harerimana and Térence Mpozenzi to two years and six months in prison. The initial charge of “conspiring to undermine state security” was changed during the sentencing to a...

Four Iwacu journalists and their driver were arbitrarily arrested on 22 October in north-western Burundi, as they arrived to investigate reports of clashes between the security forces and an armed group in Bubanza province. Charged with undermining state security, the five remain in prison after...

In a report published on 13 September 2019, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi indicated that Marie-Claudette Kwizera, a human rights defender and treasurer of Ligue Iteka, a leading human rights organization in Burundi, was killed a few days after she was abducted on 10 December 2015 by...

Human rights defender and prisoner of conscience Germain Rukuki was arrested one year ago on 13 July 2017. He was sentenced to 32 years in prison on 26 April 2018. In June, he was hospitalised and underwent surgery for injuries sustained in prison. He has since been returned to prison although he...

Burundian human rights defender Nestor Nibitanga has spent more than five months in pre-trial detention. He was arrested on 21 November 2017. Amnesty International believes the charges against him of “threatening state security” and “rebellion” are in relation to his human rights work.

Human rights defenders Emmanuel Nshimirimana, Aimé Constant Gatore and Marius Nizigiyimana were sentenced to 10 years in prison on 8 March. They are members of the Burundian non-governmental organization Words and Actions for the Awakening of Consciences and the Evolution of Mentalities (PARCEM)....