{"id":13209,"date":"2019-07-23T11:45:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T11:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/?p=13209"},"modified":"2019-07-23T15:05:23","modified_gmt":"2019-07-23T15:05:23","slug":"human-rights-watch-under-siege-burundis-journalists-fight-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/human-rights-watch-under-siege-burundis-journalists-fight-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Rights Watch: \u201cUnder Siege, Burundi\u2019s Journalists Fight On\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the context of the third anniversary of the disappearance of Jean Bigirimana, Iwacu journalist on 22 July 2016, Human Rights Watch expresses its concerns over the press situation in Burundi. Iwacu offers below a copy of the opinion piece by Lewis Mudge, the Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

Lewis Mudge is the Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch.<\/p><\/div>\n

When a journalist we know walks through the streets of his hometown in Burundi<\/a>, his neighbors often exclaim: \u201cHere comes uwubangamiwe!\u201d Although they say it in jest, the nickname \u2013 which means \u2018at risk\u2019 in Kirundi \u2013 reveals the constant danger he faces.<\/p>\n

Three years after his colleague Jean Bigirimana disappeared<\/a>, he and many other Burundian journalists continue to honor his legacy.<\/p>\n

A journalist with Iwacu, Burundi\u2019s last remaining independent newspaper, Bigirimana was on a reporting trip when he disappeared on July 22, 2016. Unconfirmed reports<\/a> indicated that members of the Burundian intelligence services arrested him in Bugarama.<\/p>\n

In early August 2016, two decomposed bodies were found in the Mubarazi River in Muramvya province, not far from Bugarama. One of the bodies was decapitated and the other weighed down by stones. Some speculated that one of them could have been Bigirimana, but local authorities buried the bodies before determining their identities and refused to conduct a DNA test.<\/p>\n

Journalists who knew Bigirimana describe a sociable, passionate, and kind man. Appreciated by his peers and sources alike, he was committed to field investigations and giving a voice to victims of abuse.<\/p>\n

With dwindling hope of ever finding him alive, his colleagues mourn his loss, a stark symbol of the dangers they face. A journalist in Bujumbura who works underground for an exiled radio station, and whose name, like the other journalists\u2019, I\u2019m not using for their protection, told Human Rights Watch that \u201cI feel great sadness when I think about Jean. It still shocks me, but it shouldn\u2019t stop us investigating or giving a voice to victims. He\u2019s not the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scores of other Burundians have disappeared since the country\u2019s crisis began in April 2015. When bodies resurface, most of the time authorities make no efforts to identify the victims or investigate the circumstances of their deaths. Journalists like Bigirimana put their lives on the line to uncover the truth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since President Nkurunziza\u2019s decision to run for a controversial third term in 2015, authorities have dealt blow after blow to the media, suspending their licenses, preventing foreign journalists from reporting in Burundi, and banning<\/a> journalists from communicating \u201cdirectly or indirectly\u201d with the Voice of America and British Broadcasting Corporation.<\/p>\n

After local radio stations were physically destroyed in May 2015, more than 100 journalists fled the country. Once-vibrant stations went off the air, and observers, independent civil society groups, and the United Nations human rights office were forced out until there was almost no one left to speak out. Two human rights defenders \u2013 Germain Rukuki and Nestor Nibitanga \u2013 have been jailed on charges related to national security, apparently for their human rights work.<\/p>\n

But not everyone left. Toiling away in the shadows, some journalists stayed behind. When asked why they didn\u2019t just stop working as journalists, they all answer, as if in unison: \u201cIf we don\u2019t write about what\u2019s happening, who will?\u201d<\/p>\n

Private radio stations, now based in neighboring countries, use WhatsApp broadcast lists to share daily news bulletins. Exiled groups like SOS M\u00e9dias Burundi post their on-the-ground journalists\u2019 reports on social media anonymously. Despite such precautions, the danger is pervasive and many fear the worst may still be to come.<\/p>\n

Pressure inside the country is mounting, and while Iwacu continues to publish hard-hitting investigations, it regularly comes under fire from the authorities.<\/p>\n

With the 2020 elections around the corner, journalists expect the government will find more ways of hampering their work, including increased surveillance and restrictive measures by the government-controlled National Communication Council (CNC), the state\u2019s media regulator. The recent appointment of a former Imbonerakure chief \u2013 who oversaw the ruling party\u2019s youth league when they committed egregious abuses \u2013 to the head of the state broadcaster sends a chilling message. A current high-ranking official in the national intelligence services and former ministry of defense official were also appointed to the radio\u2019s board.<\/p>\n

Since February, when the new opposition party Congr\u00e8s National Pour la Libert\u00e9 (National Congress for Freedom, CNL) was registered, SOS M\u00e9dias Burundi posted over 120 times on Twitter about the #CNL. These posts often include details about killings, disappearances, arrests, and beatings of its members, which have also been documented by Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n

The underground radio journalist we spoke with is worried that his work will become even more difficult, but he is determined to continue: \u201cI can see with the arrest of members of opposition parties that the elections will probably take place in a very tense climate. As the media reporting on these issues, we won\u2019t be spared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Journalists working with limited resources and no safety net are a vital lifeline of information for Burundi\u2019s increasingly isolated population, and they are also a link to the outside world.<\/p>\n

During our phone call, the journalist from central Burundi recalled the day he found out about Jean Bigirimana\u2019s disappearance: \u201cHis death shocked us all. Before, we thought their threats were just intimidation. But when they took Jean, then we knew the risks were for real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, three years later, they still are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the context of the third anniversary of the disappearance of Jean Bigirimana, Iwacu journalist on 22 July 2016, Human Rights Watch expresses its concerns over the press situation in Burundi. Iwacu offers below a copy of the opinion piece by Lewis Mudge, the Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. When a journalist we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,17,670],"tags":[1177,40],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13209"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13209"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13216,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13209\/revisions\/13216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}