Eight Soldiers and fifteen policemen detained in Ngozi prison for three weeks. They are accused of plotting a coup.
Ngozi Prison Compound
It started with a tweet by Pierre Nkurikiye, police spokesperson, on 14 September. He announced: “At 3:30 p.m., warrant officer Eddy Claude Nyongera (Army Staff-Transmission/Burundian army) killed himself with a grenade during the interrogation in the National Intelligence Agency”. Journalists were invited to the spot where he died.
Unconfirmed reports on social media said that the intelligence services had interrupted a coup before it happened.
Some talked about the warrant officer’s death while others focused on the circumstances of his death. The police spokesperson said later at a press conference on 30 September that eight policemen and 15 soldiers were arrested for high treason.
They have been detained in Ngozi central prison of Ngozi Northern Province since 22 September. They are charged with three crimes, namely high treason, participation in armed bands and illegal possession of arms.
On 5 October, the Mukaza High Court, which issued the arrest warrant, sat in the judges’ chamber in Ngozi Prison to decide on the sentence behind closed doors.
Five lawyers, including four deployed by “Lawyers without Borders”, assisted the detainees. Nothing was revealed from the meeting, which was private by law.
Visitation rights controlled
The visiting of detainees is strictly controlled. The Voluntary Association for the Defense of Detainees (AVDP) says the prison is discriminating against the detainees in terms of human rights. Guests must register before contacting the management. They have to talk to the detained soldiers and policemen in the office of the director of the prison, and in his presence. Normally, visits are carried out either in the common room behind bars or in the corridors of the prison. Aloys Hakizimana, the director of the prison, says each association that wishes to meet a detainee must have a document signed by the Justice Minister herself.
“All the prisoners must be treated and detained in the same conditions. Visitation rights must be exercised in the same way for all,” said Jean Nayabagabo, in charge of AVDP in Burundi’s northern region. He indicated that discrimination in the exercise of visitation rights not only affects the prisoner but also the society in general.
“Controlling visitation rights gives way to rumors of detainees’ killings in prisons, which does harm to the society and tarnishes Burundi image”, said Nayabagabo.
AVDP says that, in case of special measures for prisoners detained for political motives, these measures should be announced publically. Thus, everyone would be informed of the procedure prior to visiting. He added: “Any accused detainee should be kept near their family, which would facilitate visits without spending much money.”
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