The frequency of grenade attacks in Bujumbura decreased in the second half of the year. In response to comments from the UN Committee against Torture, adopted in August, the government claimed that all officers of the National Police and the SNR are subject to the Criminal Code and that “in cases [of alleged torture or ill-treatment] known to Criminal and administrative cases are regularly opened at the competent authorities to indict the police officers involved.” The director of penitentiary administration indicates that no police officer was present during the year. According to the report, (members of) Imbonerakure known to the victims, men in police uniforms and unidentified armed men, some of whom accused the victims of supporting an opposition party or being married to an opposition supporter, were among those who were responsible for rapes. or gang rapes of 38 women interviewed by HRW.” The report suggested that the more than 170 cases of rape reported to the UNHCR may have been just a fraction of the total, because aid agency medical staff believed that many women did not report rape unless they sought treatment for medical problems related to their abuse.
On April 18, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein expressed deep concern about emerging reports of "secret detention facilities across the country." The September UNIIB report concluded that there were "reasonable grounds to believe" security forces and Imbonerakure had established 13 places of detention that were not recognized by the Prosecutor General, according to alleged victims interviewed by the UNIIB.
Respect for Civil Liberties, Including
After the failed May 2015 coup, the government invoked the law to intimidate and arrest journalists. Journalists who were able to continue working complained that government agents harassed and threatened media critical of the government and the CNDD-FDD. In April 2015, RTNB cut off access to its transmission towers from radio stations it accused of supporting anti-government protests, effectively preventing the interior of the country from receiving radio broadcasts openly critical of government actions. .
Some journalists, lawyers and leaders of political parties, civil society groups and NGOs alleged that the government used these laws to intimidate and harass them. After the failed coup of May 2015, the government blocked the use of two or three social media applications on mobile networks for several days. The constitution and law provide for freedom of assembly, but the government has severely restricted this right (see section 1.d.).
The constitution guarantees freedom of association within the limits of the law, but the government has severely restricted this right. The constitution and law guarantee freedom of internal movement, travel abroad, emigration and repatriation, but the government has severely limited these rights. In 2015, an opposition group known as CNARED (Council for Respect for the Constitution, Human Rights and the Arusha Peace Accords) accused the government of using Interpol to harass its members.
Exile: The law does not allow for forced exile, and the government did not practice it. Access to asylum: The law allows for the granting of asylum or refugee status, and the government has a system to provide protection to refugees.
Freedom to Participate in the Political Process
According to UNHCR, an estimated 1,500 stateless people lived in the country at the end of 2015. All were from Oman, awaiting proof of citizenship from the Oman government and had lived in Burundi for decades. Political Parties and Political Participation: By law, in order to qualify for public campaign financing and compete in parliamentary and presidential elections, parties had to be "nationally established" (ethnically and regionally diverse) and demonstrate in writing that they were organized were and had membership. in all provinces.
Other parties, such as the MSD and the Union for Peace and Development, were recognized by the Ministry of the Interior, but were nevertheless unable to operate due to government intimidation and repression. The Home Office's interference in opposition party leadership and management kept opposition political parties weak and divided. The government stated that the law only allows legally established political parties, coalitions of political parties, and independent candidates to run for office, and that unrecognized party leaders and political actors not affiliated with a party could play no role in the political process.
This stance effectively disenfranchised parties not recognized by the government and prevented their leaders from developing platforms and running campaigns in the months leading up to the 2015 elections. Participation of women and minorities: No laws restrict the participation of women and members of minorities in the political process, and women and minorities did participate. The constitution provides for representation in all elected and appointed government positions for the two largest ethnic groups.
Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government
Financial disclosure: The law requires financial disclosure by elected officials and senior appointees once every five years, but not to the public. By law, the president, two vice-presidents and ministers are required to disclose assets upon taking office, but the non-public nature of the disclosure means that this provision could not be confirmed. Public access to information: The law does not provide for public access to state information.
Governmental Attitude Regarding International and
On July 29, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2303 expressing grave concern about human rights violations and welcomed the government's stated cooperation in deploying UN and AU human rights monitors. . On August 2, the government issued a communique signed by government spokesperson Philippe Nzobonariba stating that the government rejected the deployment of 228 police and that “the government agreed to the deployment of a team of 20 to 50 unarmed police to build. The communiqué said the government was ready to welcome 200 observers and experts from the AU, as agreed in October 2015.
The Senate, National Assembly and human rights minister also rejected the report's findings, and the government organized. In October, the government officially declared the authors of the report unwelcome in the country and suspended the activities of OHCHR Burundi. In October, the government passed a law withdrawing the country from the ICC, the first country to do so.
Government human rights bodies: The Office of the Attorney General established a commission of inquiry to "shed light on the deaths of 11 and 12 December 2015 and on allegations of mass graves". The commission's findings, announced on March 10, that "no mass graves were found at the sites cited by some NGOs." The Attorney General stated that the investigation had found on 29 February a previously unreported mass grave excavated for the victims of (see section 1.a.). The Forum for the Strengthening of Civil Society, a local NGO banned by the government in October, criticized the composition of the TRC, claiming that its members were too close to the ruling party to be impartial. Ombudsman Mohamed Rukara, whose duties included monitoring prison conditions and encouraging interfaith dialogue, was out of the country for the first half of the year.
Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons
The government did not uniformly enforce the law, and rape and other domestic and sexual violence continued to be a serious problem. On September 22, the government passed a law providing for the establishment of a special court for gender-based crimes, which criminalizes gender-based violence. The government-run Humura Center in Gitega provided survivors of domestic and sexual violence with a full range of services, including legal, health and psychosocial services.
Reproductive rights: The government recognized the right of couples and individuals to freely decide on the number, spacing and time between the birth of children, to manage their reproductive health and to have access to information and resources for this without discrimination, coercion and violence. . The government provided free birthing services and most women used nurses or midwives during childbirth and for antenatal and postnatal care, unless the mother or child suffered serious medical complications. The government registers the births of all children free of charge if they are registered within a few days of birth.
The government provided street children with minimal educational support and relied on NGOs for basic services such as medical care and economic support. The government supported a physical therapy center in Gitega and a social and vocational inclusion center in Ngozi for people with physical disabilities. The government neither supported nor hindered the activities of local LGBTI organizations or the center.
Worker Rights
Most workers worked in the unregulated informal economy and were not protected by laws other than the minimum wage. Children and youth were forced into forced labor on plantations or small farms in the south, menial jobs in gold mines in Cibitoke, carrying river stones for construction in Bujumbura, or engaging in informal trade on the streets of larger cities. large (see section 7.c.). The Ministry of Labor is responsible for enforcing child labor laws and had many instruments for this purpose, including criminal sanctions, fines and court orders.
During the year, the authorities did not report any cases of child labor in the formal sector, nor did they conduct surveys on child labor in the informal sector. Given the prevalence of extreme poverty in most families, child labor was an economic necessity for many families. Many children worked in the informal sector, such as in family businesses, selling on the street and working in small local brickworks.
See also the Department of Labor's findings on the worst forms of child labor at www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/findings/. Much of the country's economic activity took place in the informal sector, where protection was generally not provided. Some persons have claimed that membership of the ruling party is a prerequisite for formal employment in the public and private sectors.
