General situation
On 25th August 2023, DefendDefenders, in partnership with other NGOs, urged the UN Human Rights Council to adopt a new resolution on Burundi ahead of its 54th session. They urged the Council to extend the Special Rapporteur's mandate by another year and to secure the necessary funding to enable the Special Rapporteur to fully carry out their responsibilities in monitoring and documenting human rights issues.
Association
On 25th August 2023, the Intermediate Court of Gitega sentenced seven of the 26 MUCO association members arrested in February 2023 to one year of penal servitude for homosexual practices and imposed a 200-thousand Burundian franc fine for allegedly inciting debauchery and prostitution. In the same case, the Gitega High Court acquitted 19 other individuals. As previously documented, police officers arrested the 24 people during a seminar organised by MUCO Burundi, a non-profit organisation working on HIV/Aids in Gitega after neighbours saw teenagers entering the non-profit organisation’s office and contacted the police.