“The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ngozi Court of Appeal has decided to release three pupils. Investigations will continue while they are in their families,” Aimee Laurentine Kanyana, Burundi Minister of Justice told journalists on 25 March adding that these pupils have committed crimes. Those three pupils from Kamuri Basic School of Kirundo province were detained since 12 March.
Aimee Laurentine Kanyana, Minister of Justice: “The President of the Republic must be respected by everyone, whether there are adults or children,”
They are accused of having defaced the photo of President Pierre Nkurunziza found in textbook of human sciences of the 7th grade. The arrested girls had been detained at the Kirundo prosecutor’s office since March 12 before being transferred to Ngozi prison on March 21.
The Justice Minister considers scribbling on president’s photo as crossing the red line. She calls on parents to improve the education of their children by telling them mistakes that they should never make. “The President of the Republic must be respected by everyone, whether there are adults or children,” she says, calling on children to avoid being manipulated by people who make them believe that they cannot be prosecuted.
“In court, from the age of 15, one is considered as an adult. Therefore, they can be held accountable for their actions before justice and that’s why they were arrested, “says the minister, warning those who would dare to make the same mistake again.
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