Burundi : Torture, Enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings persist despite the State's commitments
Ten Burundian civil society organisations, under the coordination of SOS-Torture Burundi and with the support of the International Federation of ACAT (FIACAT), the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), are today publishing an alternative follow-up report on Burundi's implementation of the priority recommendations made by the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) in November 2023.
The report, which covers the period from November 2023 to March 2025, makes an alarming assessment of the human rights situation in Burundi. In particular, it reveals:
- 65 cases of enforced disappearance, several of which concerned political activists abducted with impunity;
- 137 cases of arbitrary detention, mostly of political opponents;
- 28 cases of torture, perpetrated mainly by agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR), police officers and members of the Imbonerakure youth league;
- 11 extrajudicial killings, some of which were carried out by clearly identified state officials.
The report denounces the total lack of prosecution of the perpetrators of these crimes, illustrating widespread and systemic impunity. As the country prepares to hold legislative elections in June 2025, human rights defenders, journalists and political opponents continue to be intimidated, arrested or convicted on unfounded grounds.
The situation is exacerbated by the deteriorating regional security context, in particular Burundi's military involvement in the current conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is accompanied by opaque deployments, attacks on civilians and the increasing criminalisation of any dissenting voice.
Despite the commitments made by Burundi during the dialogue with the CAT in November 2023, no concrete measures have been adopted to put an end to torture, guarantee justice for victims or ensure the protection of human rights defenders. The Burundian government has not yet submitted the follow-up report due in February 2024, contrary to its international obligations.
The signatory organisations of this statement request:
To the Government of Burundi:
1. To implement without delay all the recommendations made by the CAT;
2. To open independent, impartial and effective investigations into all cases of torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary detentions, and to prosecute the alleged perpetrators, including within the defence and security forces or structures affiliated to the ruling party;
3. Adopt a law to protect victims and witnesses, and provide full reparation and rehabilitation for all victims of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment;
4. Set up an official register and an independent national mechanism for tracing and documenting missing persons;
5. Cease all forms of reprisals against human rights defenders, journalists and opponents, and cancel politically motivated arrest warrants;
6. To cooperate fully with United Nations mechanisms, in particular the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi and the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances.
To the international community:
1. Increase its vigilance and diplomatic pressure on the Burundian authorities in the context of the 2025 elections;
2. Demand independent and impartial investigations into serious human rights violations;
3. Support human rights monitoring mechanisms and the documentation and advocacy efforts of independent civil society.