Joint Statement on Political Intolerance in Burundi Ahead of the June 2025 Elections

Joint Statement on Political Intolerance in Burundi Ahead of the June 2025 Elections

As the legislative, municipal, and hilltop elections scheduled for June 2025 in Burundi approach, the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights and the organization SOS-Torture/Burundi express their deep concern about the growing political intolerance characterizing the pre-election climate, exacerbated by an upsurge in violence, hate speech, and other serious violations of fundamental rights.

Political tensions and acts of repression against members of the opposition, independent journalists, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens exercising their freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly are increasingly being reported in various regions of the country.

Since the launch of the electoral campaign, several opposition political parties have denounced a series of acts of intimidation, physical attacks, and harassment, which they attribute to youth affiliated with the ruling CNDD-FDD party, known as Imbonerakure. These practices fuel a widespread climate of fear, hindering free participation in the electoral process and undermining the very foundations of democracy.

Joint Statement on Political Intolerance in Burundi Ahead of the June 2025 Elections