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STORY: GENEVA / HRC BURUNDI
TRT: 02:30
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 18 JANUARY 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RECENT - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
18 JANUARY 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Pan right, ceiling of Human Rights Council
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Martin Nivyabandi, Minister of Human Rights, Social Affairs and Gender, Burundi:
"We have the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to recognize our past, we have the Observatory to fight against genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, we have the Unity Council for Reconciliation and a series of associations of civil society that are operating in the human rights environment.”
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Martin Nivyabandi, Minister of Human Rights, Social Affairs and Gender, Burundi:
“Regarding the question of impunity, we believe we have laws, a lot of laws have been initiated not to give way to any kind of impunity.”
6. Wide shot, Human Rights Council screen
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Martin Nivyabandi, Minister of Human Rights, Social Affairs and Gender, Burundi:
"We say, like other countries which are not members of the Rome Statute, continue to suppress these crimes, so Burundi has embarked on this path to empower the (inaudible) Burundians to respond to these crimes."
8. Wide shot, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Ross Mack, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations in Geneva:
“Burundi’s refusal to cooperate with the UN Commission of Inquiry and OHCHR demonstrates the government’s unwillingness to address the deteriorating human rights situation that has contributed to the flight of hundreds of thousands of Burundians from the country. We deplore threats against UN personnel by the government officials and ruling party members.”
10. Wide shot, delegates
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Lomax, Second Secretary for Human Rights, Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations in Geneva:
“We strongly object to reprisals and intimidations against human rights defenders, including in relation to this UPR (Universal Periodic Review). We recommend to, one, establish a national preventative mechanism regarding torture, to ensure investigation and prosecution of extra-judicial killing and torture and to hold perpetrators to account including state agents.”
12. Wide shot, delegate
13. SOUNDBITE (French) Francois Gave, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in Geneva:
"We ask to combat the impunity of perpetrators of serious crimes against human rights, to ensure respect for the rights and freedom of expression in particular in favour of the independent press and human rights defenders and to finally ensure respect for freedom of association of meetings and demonstrations, particularly for human rights defenders.”
14. Med shot, delegates
15. Wide shot, Human Rights Council
16. Med shot, Burundi delegation
For the third time Burundi’s human rights record was examined today (18 Jan) by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. Burundi is one of the 14 States that are reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its ongoing session taking place from 15 to 26 January 2018.
A Commission of Inquiry on Burundi was created by Human Rights Council in September 2016 to conduct a thorough investigation into human rights violations and abuses committed in Burundi since April 2015, to determine whether any of them may constitute international crimes and to identify their alleged perpetrators.
The Commission confirmed the persistence of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and sexual violence in Burundi since April 2015. Most of these violations were committed by members of the National Intelligence Service, the police, the army and the youth league of the ruling party, commonly known as the Imbonerakure. The Commission emphasizes the scope and the gravity of the documented violations, which, in some instances, entailed serious physical and psychological trauma for the victims. Human rights abuses were also committed by armed opposition groups, but these proved difficult to document.
The Commission has reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Burundi since April 2015.
