Burundi: Mob Justice

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Léocadie Irankunda was beaten unconscious by a mob, including a local official, who accused her of theft. She shows the scars on her head and the torn blouse she was wearing when she was assaulted. The mob killed her suspected accomplice, Cyprien Habonimana. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Léocadie Irankunda and her husband. She is still in pain and suffers loss of memory; her husband says she sometimes gets lost in the fields. Irankunda has filed charges against those who beat her, but has not yet seen justice. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Residents of Cibitoke commune in Bujumbura who were victims of a robbery. Several robbery victims in Cibitoke, where mob violence is frequent, told Human Rights Watch and APRODH they believed it was acceptable to kill thieves, since the police do not provide sufficient security. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Eric Niyonzima’s body waits to be claimed by family members at the Roi Khaled Hospital morgue in Bujumbura. A suspected thief, he was subjected to “necklacing,” a gruesome form of public killing in which tires are placed around the victim’s neck and set aflame. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Claude Nahimana shows scars from being seriously beaten by a crowd of motorcycle-taxi drivers who suspected him of stealing a motorcycle. He told Human Rights Watch, “I wouldn’t have gotten out of there alive if the police weren’t there.” © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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18 year-old Jean Bukuru, a suspected thief, was killed by a mob. "I saw my son being killed. There was nothing I could do other than cry. There was nothing anyone could do." –Jean Bukuru’s mother. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Donatien Manirazika was beaten by a mob in the presence of local officials. Behind him are his wife and young child. "...I heard people saying, ’if we don’t kill him now, he’ll press charges against us or get vengeance.’ Someone, I don’t know who, threw a big rock. I lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital." © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Cayega’s parents stand over their son’s unmarked grave. Their son and another man, Jean-Marie Ndireguheka, were identified as suspects after a bicycle was stolen and beaten to death by a mob. "He was my last child left. I had five. All the others died in childhood." – Cayega’s mother © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Jean-Marie Ndireguheka’s mother says she has nothing left now that her son has been killed. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Emmanuel Ngenzebuhuro was visiting his father when he was caught by a crowd who suspected him of having stolen 60 kilograms of beans. Ngenzebuhoro was beaten to death; his body was thrown in the river and was never recovered. His father repairs umbrellas for a living. He says he would have paid back what his son had stolen. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Audifax Ndayizeye’s wife with a photo of her husband. A demobilized FNL combatant, he had been suspected in the frequent thefts that took place in his neighborhood. Four neighbors tied him up, beat him to death in a nearby clearing, and set his body on fire. Police and local authorities left the burned body exposed for an entire day. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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The clearing where Audifax Ndayizeye was beaten to death and set on fire by neighbors. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
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Gratien Masabarakiza’s mother, wife, and child. Gratien, a suspected potato thief, was chased down a hill and into a valley by four men, rallying the population, until a huge crowd formed and killed him. © 2009 Martina Bacigalupo 102504
Mob attacks on suspected criminals in Burundi, often with official complicity, led to at least 75 killings in 2009. Such killings rarely result in official investigations, let alone prosecutions. “Too many officials are turning a blind eye to mob justice, which is endemic in Burundi,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “But the state has a duty to keep its citizens safe, even if they’re suspected of committing a crime.” Portraits by Martina Bacigalupo.
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