03-06-2018 ■ Jean Baptiste Baribonekeza, Chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights says his commission has not yet received an official notification of the decision that demoted CNIDH from statute A to B even if the process lasted two years. He says CNIDH has already introduced a resort. The deadline (...)

01-25-2018 ■ In the statement released on 24 January, the EAC Court says it rejected the application filed by suspended non-profit civil society organizations for interim orders against the Attorney General of the Republic of Burundi and the Secretary General of the East African Community-EAC. The application is related to the (...)

08-10-2017 ■ Burundi Minister of the Interior is calling on Burundian refugees to come back into the fold. Some refugees say the time is not yet opportune to return to Burundi. Their security is not ensured, according to them. “Some Burundians in exile say they are afraid of returning home thinking (...)

05-18-2017 ■ Exiled civil society leaders say they doubt Benjamin Mkapa’s willingness to help end the Burundi crisis. The Facilitator recently invited them to a two-day meeting due to take place in Entebbe, Uganda from 24 May. The invitation excludes rights group leaders wanted by the Burundi justice. They will be (...)

04-25-2017 ■ Exiled activists organise demonstrations against alarming rights violations; an idea that is not shared by activists living in Burundi. A number of civil society organisations have called on Burundians in exile to protest against new waves of extra-judiciary executions and forced disappearances. “We call on all Burundians especially those (...)

11-30-2016 ■ World Organization Against Torture –OMCT General Assembly held on 26 November in Geneva, Switzerland, elected new members including Armel Niyongere, a Burundian human rights defender. He was chosen for his commitment to fighting against impunity and torture in Burundi. The Chairman of the Christian Action for the Abolition of (...)

10-31-2016 ■ The striking off and suspension of several civil society organizations (CSOs) by the Burundian government causes fear for the regime and doubt about its governance. “… The above associations have deviated from their goals set in their statutes and are rather busy tarnishing the country’s image and stirring up (...)

10-24-2016 ■ Accused of deviating from the goals set in their statutes, five local non-governmental organizations have been completely banned from working in Burundi by the Interior Minister. The organizations are namely the Forum for the Strengthening of Civil Society (FORSC), the Forum for Awareness and Development (FOCODE), Christian Action for (...)

10-10-2016 ■ No death penalty in Burundi since 2009. But extrajudicial killings are common. Additionally, there are signs that the penalty might be reintroduced. As the world celebrates the World Day against Death Penalty, the abolition of the penalty in Burundi is threatened by the prevalence of extrajudicial killings and hints (...)

10-10-2016 ■ Burundi government accuses EU of having dictated the recent UN report to destabilize the country. The UN Council for Human Rights adopted on 30 September in Geneva, Switzerland, a resolution on Burundi by setting up an independent commission of inquiry which will determine the perpetrators of violations of human (...)