As the Human Rights Council holds this Special Session, the human rights situation in Burundi has reached a new low. Last Friday, scores of people were killed in the capital Bujumbura in the most serious incident since the crisis started in April. The exact number of victims is not confirmed, but an estimated 100 people or more may have been killed in less than 24 hours. Following armed attacks on military installations on 11 December, and reported clashes between the Burundian security forces and armed youth, the security forces entered neighbourhoods of Bujumbura, searched houses, and, according to local sources, killed young men suspected of being opponents. Photographs of some of the dead bodies show people shot in the head and others with their arms tied behind their backs.
These gruesome events are just the latest in a series of extrajudicial executions, murders and attacks, in addition to hundreds of arbitrary arrests and cases of torture, since April 2015. Since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his controversial bid to stand for a third term, the government has been lashing out at all perceived opponents and critics, including demonstrators, members of political parties, civil society activists and journalists. Opposition groups have also increasingly resorted to violence, killing police and members of the ruling party. Tit-for-tat attacks have spiralled, with a string of high-profile murders since August.
One of the most shocking incidents was the near-fatal attack on our friend and colleague Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, president of the human rights group APRODH, whom we are very lucky to have with us today. He narrowly survived a shooting in August, but a few weeks later, his son-in-law and his own son were murdered, one in October, the other in November.
Meanwhile the crackdown on civil society and the media continues. After suspending all the main private radio stations in May, the government has now suspended the activities and frozen the bank accounts of ten civil society organisations, including APRODH. It has also frozen the bank accounts of the human rights group Ligue Iteka. Burundi’s once dynamic civil society movement and independent media have been practically destroyed.
Burundi’s crisis is above all a human rights crisis. The Human Rights Council should remain actively engaged and reinforce calls for accountability for the serious crimes committed in Burundi. UN and AU human rights observers in the country should regularly publish their findings. In addition, there is an urgent need for thorough, independent judicial investigations leading to prosecutions. So far, virtually none of the investigations promised by the Burundian authorities have resulted in concrete actions to hold perpetrators to account. On the contrary, they have either reinforced impunity or led to arbitrary arrests, trumped-up charges, and prolonged pre-trial detention. Given the lack of independence of the Burundian justice system, outside experts should be brought in to assist.
We also ask that Burundi’s membership of the Human Rights Council be reviewed by the General Assembly unless the Burundian authorities take concrete, lasting measures to improve the human rights situation.
