THE CALL OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE RELEASE OF THE BURUNDIAN JOURNALIST ALINE SANDRA MUHOZA

The undersigned organizations are deeply concerned by the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the lockdown of civic space in Burundi. The Journalist Sandra Muhoza, arbitrarily detained since April 13, 2024, is one of the many victims of this dramatic situation. The undersigned organizations appeal for her release.

It is worth mentioning that the principles of equitable justice, respect for judicial procedures and the law without any discrimination, independence of the judiciary, impartiality of the magistrate and legality no longer serve as bases for governance in Burundi even though the State has adopted and ratified several international instruments relating to the protection and promotion of human rights.

Hence, acts of arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and forced disappearances have become commonplace, especially against members of opposition parties, human rights defenders, journalists and other citizens considered as such. These practices have intensified since 2015, with the political crisis that erupted with the third term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza.

By this Declaration, the signatory organizations deplore the conditions in which Sandra Muhoza was arrested and held in detention, which clearly demonstrate the extent to which the judiciary has become a tool for persecuting all voices that disagree with the ruling regime. This represents a serious threat to the freedom of the press and that of expression in Burundi.

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