{"id":16592,"date":"2021-02-19T12:56:58","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T12:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/?p=16592"},"modified":"2021-02-19T13:07:37","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T13:07:37","slug":"investigation-the-death-of-simon-the-man-who-refused-to-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/investigation-the-death-of-simon-the-man-who-refused-to-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Investigation \/ The death of Simon, the man who refused to vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

True to his religious convictions, Simon Bizimana, a farmer from Gisoro hill, Twinkwavu zone in Cendajuru commune (Cankuzo), refused to register for the vote on the referendum in May. He was arrested, then died on March 18, 2018, in the provincial hospital as a result of \u201cacts of torture\u201d, according to human rights activists. From malaria, the authorities retort. Two Iwacu reporters conducted a field investigation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Fabrice Manirakiza and R\u00e9novat Ndabashinze<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Simon Bizimana<\/p><\/div>\n

At six o’clock in the morning, we set off from Bujumbura. We\u2019re heading in the direction of Cendajuru, Simon Bizimana\u2019s commune of origin. We have no address, no contact with the family.<\/p>\n

From the start, we felt that the case was very sensitive and people were reluctant to talk, let alone be seen with journalists. Several people we tried to contact from Bujumbura told us: \u201cIt could cause problems for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

But after pleading repeatedly, we managed, with difficulty, to establish a few contacts.<\/p>\n

Investigating a high profile case is not easy. As we leave Bujumbura, news of the Simon Bizimana case is spreading on social networks, which have jumped on the story. It is \u201cbuzzing\u201d, as they say.<\/p>\n