Burundi: Journalists sentenced to imprisonment – hope lost for press freedom

BURUNDI, January 31, 2020 – We denounce the court’s decision to imprison journalists Agnès Ndirubusa and Christine Kamikazi, along with their two other colleagues - Egide Harerimana and Terence Mpozenzi. They have been sentenced to two and a half years in prison and a fine of one million Burundian francs for “trying to undermine state security”.

Martin Ndayisaba, one of their lawyers, said that they would be appealing the decision. CFWIJ has kept a close watch over Burundi. We find that this decision is just another example of the state punishing journalists for doing their jobs.

Burundi’s media is heavily controlled by the government, and independent media has been systematically attacked and broken down in the country. It comes as no surprise to us that our colleagues, all of whom work for the Iwacu Press Group - an independent media group, find themselves in this predicament.

The four journalists and their driver Adolphe Masabarakiza were arrested in the Bubanza Province’s Musigati district on October 22, 2019. Once charged, all were denied bail. The only crime they have committed is reporting on an armed attack by anti-government rebels from the South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

All of the arrested were accused of “complicity in the breach of the state’s internal security” and were subsequently denied bail on October 31, 2019. The court then ordered for the journalists to be detained in November 2019.

The driver was provisionally released on November 30, 2019, but the journalists continued to be detained. Masabarakiza was acquitted on January 30.

During their December 2019 hearing, the prosecution asked for a 15-year jail sentence for all four journalists. The judge was further asked to deny them their right to vote for a period of five years. The prosecution also asked that they be denied their civic rights for a period of 20 years. You can read our complete statement here.

We believe that the state of Burundi have done everything they deemed possible to sabotage press freedom. This sentence is unjust and does nothing but hurt good journalism.

We, at The Coalition, demand that our colleagues are released and urge Burundi’s judiciary to reconsider their decision. We hope that with the appeal, good sense will prevail.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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