Burundian President accused of human rights violations

A commission investigating abuses in Burundi concluded that President Pierre Nkurunziza is personally responsible for serious violations.

The investigators found that opposition members, their families and individuals who did not cooperate with the ruling party before next year’s elections were killed, abducted or tortured. Women and girls have been victims of physical violence by members of the ruling party’s youth wing who commit gang violation.

The UN Commission’s report states that the main perpetrators of crimes against humanity are agents of the national intelligence service, the police – who report directly to the office of President Pierre Nkurunziza, who would, therefore, be responsible for these crimes.

The investigation initially focused on a brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in 2015. It also noted that the suppression of civil liberties has intensified in the run-up to next year’s elections.

A representative of the Burundian government, Tabu Renovat, rejected the report’s conclusions as politically motivated and misleading.