• Human Rights in Burundi

    Human rights in Burundi in 2012 present both progress and serious concerns. For example, the number of political killings decreased in 2012 after a sharp escalation in 2011, but political space remains restricted. The Burundian government failed to address widespread impunity, especially for members of the security forces and the youth league of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy. The report of a commission of inquiry, set up by the prosecutor general to investigate cases of extrajudicial executions and torture, acknowledged that killings had occurred, but concluded that they did not constitute extrajudicial executions.

  • © 2011 Human Rights Watch
    Burundi: Online Newspaper Forum Suspended

    The decision by the National Communication Council to suspend the readers’ forum of the Burundian newspaper Iwacu infringes on the right to freedom of expression. The government should lift the suspension and allow the newspaper to resume publication of its readers’ comments page.

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Burundi

  • UN Human Rights Council: Adoption of the Outcome of the UPR of Burundi
    Jun 6, 2013
    Human Rights Watch deeply regrets that Burundi rejected all recommendations to fight impunity for extra-judicial killings. HRW remains particularly concerned at the lack of progress in bringing to justice perpetrators of extrajudicial killings and other acts of political violence since 2010.
  • Burundi: Online Newspaper Forum Suspended
    Jun 3, 2013

    The decision by the National Communication Council to suspend the readers’ forum of the Burundian newspaper Iwacu infringes on the right to freedom of expression. The government should lift the suspension and allow the newspaper to resume publication of its readers’ comments page.

  • Burundi: Concerns About New Media Law
    Apr 25, 2013

    Letter to President Pierre Nkurunziza

    Human Rights Watch urges President Pierre Nkurunziza not to sign the new media law adopted by the Senate on April 19, 2013, and to prevent it from being enacted in its current form. Human Rights Watch urges him instead to send it back to Parliament for amendment and ensure that the final version restores media freedoms, in line with Burundi’s national and international commitments.

  • Burundi: New Law Would Muzzle Journalists
    Apr 12, 2013

    The adoption of a new media law by Burundi’s National Assembly on April 3, 2013, is an attempt to curtail free speech and independent journalism. The Senate and president should reject this version of the draft law, which would undermine Burundians’ hard-won struggle for fundamental freedoms.

  • Burundi: Universal Periodic Review Submission-Updated December 2012
    Dec 30, 2012
  • Burundi: Human Rights Recommendations for Geneva Conference
    Oct 26, 2012

    The conference in Geneva on October 29-30, 2012, bringing together the Burundian government, foreign governments, development partners, civil society organizations and other interlocutors, is an opportunity for the Burundian government and donors alike to prioritize human rights reforms and make concrete commitments to the protection of human rights.

  • Burundi: Make Human Rights a Conference Priority
    Oct 26, 2012

    The Burundian government and partners attending a conference on development in Burundi should make human rights issues a top priority. The conference in Geneva on October 29 and 30, 2012, will bring together representatives of the Burundian government, foreign governments, donor agencies, and others.

  • Burundi: Universal Periodic Review Submission July 2012
    Jul 10, 2012
  • Burundi govt should promote, not stifle, debate about roots of political violence
    May 28, 2012
  • Burundi: Verdict in Activist's Killing Fails to Deliver Justice
    May 23, 2012
    The verdict on May 22, 2012, in the trial of those accused of killing Ernest Manirumva, a Burundian anti-corruption activist, has been a missed opportunity to deliver justice, 20 Burundian and international nongovernmental organizations said today in a joint statement. The outcome was a grave disappointment to those who have campaigned for his killers to be held to account, as potentially important evidence in the case was not pursued.
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