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GENEVA / BURUNDI COMMISSION OF INQUIRY
STORY: GENEVA / BURUNDI COMMISSION OF INQUIRY
TRT: 2:50
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH /ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 5 SEPTEMBER 2018 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Med shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Francoise Hampson, Member of Commission of Inquiry on Burundi:
"When we talk about human rights violations and the persistence of violations, we are talking about the following violations, and you will see that they are serious violations: arbitrary executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, sexual violence, violations of civil liberties and violations of economic, social and cultural rights and enforced disappearances. These are violations we saw last year, but we have information about the continuation of these violations in 2017 and 2018. "
4. Close up, hands typing
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Francoise Hampson, Member of Commission of Inquiry on Burundi:
"The evolution is that now at night people come to remove those they are looking for and then we do not find the bodies anymore. That does not mean that they are not dead but we do not know where we can find these people but maybe they are dumped in mass graves or in rivers or maybe buried in prisons. This is to say that the arbitrary executions are no longer hidden than they were before, but that does not mean that they did not take place."
6. Med shot, photographer
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Francoise Hampson, Member of Commission of Inquiry on Burundi:
"Who are the main perpetrators of human rights violations? As usual and like last year, it's mostly the police and the National Intelligence Services (SNR). It should be noted that this year there is less evidence of violations committed by army forces. On the other hand, there are many more acts committed by the Imbonerakure. "
8. Med shot, journalist
9. SOUNDBITE (French) Francoise Hampson, Member of Commission of Inquiry on Burundi:
"There is no criminal procedure against people who commit serious violations of human rights. And it's a real problem, it's going to continue to be a problem and it's going to aggravate the political crisis, because we're not addressing the violations that have been committed. "
10. Med shot, journalist typing.
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Francoise Hampson, Member of Commission of Inquiry on Burundi:
“It’s important to pay tribute to the population when it would be so easy to find a scapegoat in the mess where they find themselves in. The economic situation is absolutely appalling. They moved from having one million in need of humanitarian assistance to 3.6 million, that is a third of the population. And in that situation, they still haven’t just latched on to a convenient scapegoat. I think, hats off to them. A real tribute that needs to be paid to them”.
12. Close up, journalist
13. Close up, journalist
14. Close up, journalist
Serious violations of human rights, including crimes against humanity, have been committed in Burundi in 2017 and 2018, according to the United Nations commission charged with documenting human rights abuses in the country.
Speaking to the media at the United Nations in Geneva, Francoise Hampson, a member of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Burundi, said today (5 Sep) that "when we talk about human rights violations and the persistence of violations, we are talking about the following violations: arbitrary executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, sexual violence, violations of civil liberties, violations of economic, social and cultural rights and enforced disappearances”.
Hampson added “these are violations we saw last year, but we have information about the continuation of these violations in 2017 and 2018."
New practices, such as the disposal of bodies or operating at night, tend to make the summary executions appear to have decreased compared to 2015, she warned.
Hampson said “the evolution is that now at night people come to remove those they are looking for and then we do not find the bodies anymore. That does not mean that they are not dead but we do not know where we can find these people,” Hampson explained. “Maybe they are dumped in mass graves or in rivers or maybe buried in prisons. This is to say that the arbitrary executions are no longer hidden than they were before, but that does not mean that they did not take place."
Ten years after the end of a civil war in 2005, Burundi was plagued by a new crisis in 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza’s ultimately successful bid for re-election to a third term sparked protests by opposition supporters. Violence and serious violations of human rights have continued since then.
This year, the Government of Burundi has refused – as it did previously -- any dialogue with the UN’s Commission of Inquiry. The Commission based its findings on approximately 900 statements of victims of human rights violations, witnesses and alleged perpetrators of such acts, including 400 statements collected this past year.
The report said that the members of the youth league of the ruling party, the Imbonerakure, have become increasingly important in the repression, outside any legal framework and with near total impunity.
Francoise Hampson said "who are the main perpetrators of human rights violations? As usual and like last year, it's mostly the police and the National Intelligence Services (SNR). It should be noted that this year there is less evidence of violations committed by army forces. On the other hand, there are many more acts committed by the Imbonerakure”.
The Commission called on the Burundian government to prosecute state agents and the Imbonerakure involved in the violations and abuses of human rights. The Commission established that the Imbonerakure acted with the approval and effective control of the Burundian State.
Hampson said "there is no criminal procedure against people who commit serious violations of human rights. And it's a real problem, it's going to continue to be a problem and it's going to aggravate the political crisis, because we're not addressing the violations that have been committed.”
The Commission is also concerned with the shrinking democratic space as well as the growing impoverishment of the population. The political crisis that has plagued the country since April 2015 has had a negative impact on the living conditions of the Burundians. The report reveals that human rights violations were aided by recurring calls for hatred and violence, including the President of Burundi.
Hampson emphasized that “it’s important to pay tribute to the population when it would be so easy to find a scapegoat in the mess where they find themselves in. The economic situation is absolutely appalling. They moved from having one million in need of humanitarian assistance to 3.6 million, that is a third of the population. And in that situation, they still haven’t just latched on to a convenient scapegoat. I think, hats off to them. A real tribute that needs to be paid to them”.
The Commission of Inquiry on Burundi was created in September 2016 through a UN Human Rights Council resolution, and will submit its latest report to the Human Rights Council on 17 September 2018 in Geneva.
The Commission is currently the only international mechanism investigating independently and impartially human rights violations committed in Burundi, and will be requesting the extension of its mandate for an additional year.
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