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....

During its recent Universal Periodic Review, Burundi received many recommendations to end reprisals against human rights defenders and journalists, which Amnesty International urges it to accept and implement.

In this submission, Amnesty International evaluates the implementation of recommendations made to Burundi in its previous UPR, including on extrajudicial and unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests, attacks against human rights defenders, and...

At the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, in October 2021, the Council established a special procedure on Burundi. The new Special Rapporteur mandate includes critical monitoring, reporting, and technical advice components. The Council’s decision to discontinue the mandate of the...

Amnesty International welcomes the Special Rapporteur’s update on the human rights situation in Burundi. Burundi continues to face serious human rights challenges despite promises by Burundian authorities to improve the human rights situation since President Evariste Ndayishimiye took over as head...

We, the undersigned human rights non-governmental organizations, call on you, in your capacity as Minister of Justice, to implement without further delay the court decisions granting provisional release to Christa Kaneza. The failure to implement the court decision is an affront to the rule of law...

Six international human rights groups – Amnesty International, the Burundi Human Rights Initiative, DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project), Human Rights Watch, Protection International Africa and TRIAL International – condemned the decision of the Court of Appeal...

Amnesty International thanks the Commission of Inquiry for its vital work since 2016. As the continuing grave violations it has documented demonstrate, a handful of symbolic gestures cannot compensate for the deeper, more durable reforms required to meaningfully improve the human rights situation...

At the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council (the Council) in October 2020, the Council renewed the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Burundi for a further year. This allowed the only independent mechanism mandated to document human rights violations and abuses, monitor, and...

Burundian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release lawyer Tony Germain Nkina, who was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2021 in all likelihood because of his past human rights work, six international human rights groups said today. The groups – Amnesty International, the...

We, the undersigned organisations, express our dismay that the Burundian Appeals Court of Ntahangwa has not yet announced a verdict in the case of human rights defender Mr. Germain Rukuki. According to legal statutes, this verdict was due within 30 days of the appeal hearing, by 24 April 2021. This...

During Amnesty International’s global Write for Rights campaign, our members and supporters in 37 countries took more than 436,292 actions in solidarity with Burundian human rights defender Germain Rukuki and called for his immediate and unconditional release. These letters have been sent by...

Amnesty International thanks the Commission of Inquiry for its oral update. While the government has taken some steps towards reopening media space, human rights defenders and journalists continue to face serious violations of their rights. In December 2020, we received the welcome news that four...