AFRICA/BURUNDI - The UN: "serious violations of human rights, strong risk of genocide"

Wednesday, 21 September 2016 un   justice   human rights   extrajudicial killings  

Bujumbura (Agenzia Fides) - 564 extrajudicial executions in Burundi from April 26, 2015 till the end of August 2016, were documented by a UN report.
"Experts ascertained serious violations of human rights that were and still are committed mainly by State agents and those who are related to them" the report said, with a clear reference to pro-government militias. The report does not rule out that the serious human rights violations may constitute crimes against humanity, and calls for the start of international judicial procedures to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"Serious violations are systematic, impunity is omnipresent and the danger of the crime of genocide is high", denounces the report, sent to Fides.
The government in Bujumbura described the UN report as "biased and politically oriented". Burundi's political crisis erupted following the announcement in April 2015 of President Pierre Nkurunziza's re-election for a third term, in violation of the Constitution and the Arusha Peace Accords, which include only two presidential terms. After the election of Nkurunziza, in July 2015, violence and repression worsened, pushing more than 300,000 Burundians to seek refuge in neighboring countries. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 21/09/2016)


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