Human Rights watch on Tuesday condemned the conviction of four Burundian journalists in a flawed trial on January 30, 2020, describing it as a clear example of the misuse of the justice system to stifle freedom of expression in the central African nation.
The High Court of Bubanza, in western Burundi, convicted Christine Kamikazi, Agnès Ndirubusa, Egide Harerimana, and Térence Mpozenzi – all of whom work for the country’s last remaining independent newspaper, Iwacu – and sentenced them to two and half years in prison and a fine of 1 million Burundian Francs each (approximately US$530).