The US State Department publishes a report on Burundi. The 40-page document highlights serious human rights violations, which continue despite the change of president.
This US State Department document is based on several reports from local and international NGOs and the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry.
One of the few positive points concerns the transfer of power. It was conducted last year in a peaceful manner despite elections marked by irregularities.
After all, the discovery is hardly brilliant. The document first devotes much space to the dramatic situation in prisons. Overcrowded facilities: the 13 official prisons, which have a capacity of almost 4,200 prisoners, hold three times as many. There is no water, no toilets, no light, many prisoners die of disease.
Another observation,since the 2020 election, human rights violations have therefore not ceased, far from it. They are committed by the police, but also by members of the ruling party’s youth union, who continue to enjoy almost total impunity.
When it comes to judicial executions, they are still numerous. More than 200 were registered last year, the same for arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and torture of opponents or individuals perceived as opponents.
Finally, in this very bleak picture, the document points to the restrictions that affect freedom of expression and expose unjustified arrests of journalists.
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