Introduction
Ten years after the 2015 political crisis, Burundi’s human rights situation remains concerning, prompting the UN Human Rights Council to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the country. The decision, adopted under Resolution A/HRC/60/L.13, ensures continued international scrutiny as Burundi enters a prolonged electoral period marked by risks of serious human rights violations. The resolution condemns extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence, while denouncing the widespread impunity of perpetrators and the shrinking civic and democratic space. It calls for a safe environment for civil society, journalists, human rights defenders, and other independent actors. The Council also expressed concern over the restrictive conditions surrounding the 2025 parliamentary and local elections, which were characterised by limited political pluralism and a climate of fear.
Over 40 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had urged the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. In a joint letter released ahead of the Council’s 60th session in September, the groups warned that serious abuses continue ten years after the 2015 political crisis, with perpetrators acting in impunity. They cautioned that Burundi’s ongoing electoral cycle, running from 2025 to the 2027 presidential election, increases the risk of renewed repression. The NGOs stressed that the Special Rapporteur remains vital for documenting violations and ensuring international scrutiny of Burundi’s human rights situation.
Association
Between January and August 2025, Burundian civil society organisations (CSOs) documented 26 cases of enforced disappearances, many of which occurred during the May to June parliamentary elections. The incidents appeared linked to efforts to suppress dissent and mainly targeted members of the CNL, the main opposition party. Victims were reportedly apprehended in public places and taken away in vehicles with tinted windows to unknown locations, with their whereabouts remaining unknown. Agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR) were identified as the primary perpetrators, yet no investigations or prosecutions have been initiated. During the same period, CSOs recorded 60 arbitrary arrests and detentions, largely affecting members of opposition parties and Congolese nationals in Cibitoke province accused of ties to the M23 movement. Reports further indicated 65 cases of torture, often carried out in SNR facilities or during interrogations. The Imbonerakure youth group was also implicated in abuses. These developments point to a continued erosion of human rights and civic freedoms, amid a climate of impunity and political repression.
Expression
The ongoing detention of journalist Sandra Muhoza raises concerns about due process and judicial accountability in Burundi. Despite a ruling by the Bujumbura Mairie Court of Appeal on 30th May 2025 declaring that the lower court lacked jurisdiction to try her, Muhoza remains in prison. As previously documented, she was convicted in December 2024 by the Mukaza High Court of undermining national integrity and inciting ethnic hatred over comments made in a journalists’ WhatsApp group, and sentenced to 21 months in prison. The appeal court determined that both the trial and conviction were invalid, stating she should have been tried in the northern Ngozi region, where she lived and was arrested.