In a press release issued this Friday, the Brussels Bar and its Human Rights Institute express their indignation against political authorities’ decision to dismiss four lawyers from the Bujumbura bar.
According to that declaration, Armel Niyongere, Vital Nshimirimana, Lambert Nigarura and Dieudonne Bashirahishize are threatened with the ultimate sanction for a lawyer that deprives them permanently of their right to practice their profession.
On 29 July, the Public Prosecutor at the Bujumbura Court of Appeal asked the President of Bujumbura Bar Association to dismiss these four lawyers charging them with contributing to the preparation of a report about security in Burundi submitted at the end July before the United Nations Committee against Torture.
The report dealt with cases of torture, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, rape and repressive measures against defenders of human rights and members of opposition parties in Burundi.
The Brussels Bar and its human rights institute urge the Belgian and European authorities to put pressure on the Burundian authorities to stop such threats and respect the lawyers’ profession since they are the main justice actors and guarantors of the rule of law. According to the same statement, Burundi government should immediately renounce any binding measures and disbarment procedure against them.
The Brussels Bar and its human rights institute call on the Burundian authorities to put an immediate end to severe measures infringing lawyers’ rights and cooperate with the United Nations Committee against Torture in the investigations that are being carried out in the country. They express their solidarity with their Burundian colleagues.
IWACU Open Data
