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Burundi : la Commission d enquête de l ONU dénonce « la persistance des violations des droits de l homme » – Jeune Afrique
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By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Four Burundian journalists arrested in 2019 and jailed in January for offences including undermining state security have been granted a presidential pardon.
“Under the terms of the present decree, the convicted prisoners Ndirubusa Agnès, Harerimana Égide, Mpozenzi Terence are granted a complete remission of the freedom-depriving sentence,” President Evariste Ndayishimiye said in a decree.
The three all worked for domestic news website Iwacu, as did a fourth journalist who was not mentioned in the decree but who confirmed his release on Thursday.
Willy Nyamitwe, head of information and communication in the president’s office, tweeted on Thursday that the four journalists had written a letter requesting a pardon and the president “has favorably responded to it”.
+ December 2020 in Africa: A free expression roundup produced by IFEX’s regional editor Reyhana Masters, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
The end of 2020 brought an unexpected but welcome Christmas Eve gift in the unconditional release, through a presidential pardon, of
Burundian journalists Agnes Ndirubusa, Christine Kamikazi, Egide Harerimana and Terence Mpozenzi.
Very good news, @iwacuinfo journalists Agnès, Christine, Térance & Egide have been released. We welcome this decision because their conviction was unfair. However, other #HRDs likeGermain RUKUKI are still in jail, they also deserve better. @DefendDefenders@AfricaDefenderspic.twitter.com/kO8jvTDB2r
The journalists from Iwacu Press Group, one of the country’s remaining independent media outlets, were sentenced to two and half years in prison and fined a million Burundian francs (US$515) in what was seen as a flawed legal process.