01 Jun 11 | Index Index, minipost
A journalist who was imprisoned for 10 months for “publishing “information that discredits the state and economy” has vowed expose overcrowding in Burundi’s state prisons. Jean-Claude Kavumbagu is planning to draw on his experience of life behind bars in Mpimpa Prison to expose the issue of overcrowding. The editor of news site Net Press said: “My plan is to draw attention to this and get the authorities to put it right.” Kavumbagu was released from prison earlier this month after campaigns by human rights groups and pressure from Western governments.
28 Apr 11 | Index Index, minipost
Burundi’s state-run media regulator, the National Communications Council, suspended a popular talk show on Monday (25 April) after a caller accused the President of wrongdoing. The show, Kabizi, was ordered off the air for an initial four-day period. The caller insinuated that the President had committed war crimes during Burundi’s civil war, the show’s host had immediately stopped the caller and asked him to refer his allegations to the Burundi Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
07 Sep 10 | Index Index, minipost
A journalist charged with treason will remain in pre-trial detention, a court ruled on 6 September. Jean-Claude Kavumbagu was arrested on 17 July after he wrote an article about the possibility of Burundi being the target for a terrorist attack. The editor of online newspaper Net Press, has been detained four times in his 14 years of working as a journalist. If convicted he could be sentenced to life imprisonment. Judges have not yet set a date for a further hearing.
23 Jul 10 | Index Index, minipost
Burundi journalist Jean Claude Kavumbagu was arrested and charged with treason on 17 July. Kavumbagu, the editor of online news service Net Press, published an article that accused Burundi’s security forces of stealing and looting. It also suggested that they would be unable to prevent a terrorist attack on their country. It remains unclear why he was charged with the war-time offence of treason and not under the Burundi’s press law. On Saturday night, 15 radio stations in the capital Bujumbura broadcast simultaneous messages calling for Kavumbagu’s release. The punishment for treason in Burundi is life imprisonment.
