The facts of her case
Floriane Irangabiye is a Burundian citizen who has been living in Rwanda since 2009 for professional and family reasons. During her stay in Rwanda, she worked in a variety of jobs, including hosting and moderating programs on the Igicaniro web radio station, set up by an association of Burundians living in exile, where she regularly invited well-known Burundian personalities to discuss the problems of her native country.
Around mid-August 2022, Floriane freely travelled to Burundi to visit her family, who were currently living in Bujumbura. After nearly two weeks in Burundi, Floriane Irangabiye was intercepted by agents of the Services Nationaux de Renseignement (SNR) on her way to a relative’s funeral in southern Burundi. Without a warrant
or justification, she was immediately arrested and detained in SNR offices, where she was interrogated without a lawyer. She was held there without being served with any charges, in violation of the Burundian Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as African and international human rights standards, which guarantee the right of anyone held in police custody to be promptly charged or released.
Floriane’s first appearance was before a Council Chamber on September 8, 2022, on a charge brought by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for breach of territorial integrity, and despite the absence of any inculpatory evidence, she was kept in detention. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has asked for time to search for evidence, and having failed to find it, the charge will be dropped, but Floriane will remain in detention. She was first transferred to Mpimba central prison in Bujumbura, then to Muyinga prison in the north of the country, far from her family, in order to make it difficult for them to visit her. This months-long detention without charge, as well as the absence of evidence, constitute flagrant violations of the principles of a fair trial enshrined in Burundian and international law.
She will subsequently appear on a new charge, this time changing the grounds of her indictment to “undermining the integrity of the State”.
Her trial took place on January 2, 2023, and the verdict was swift and made public the very next day, January 3, 2023. According to the verdict handed down at the end of the trial, the judge based his verdict on her regular travels between Rwanda and Burundi, and accused her of criticizing the Burundian government through her broadcasts, in which she gave the floor to political opponents who criticized bad governance and human rights violations perpetrated in Burundi by state agents.
Floriane Irangabiye was sentenced to ten years’ penal servitude and a fine of one million Burundian francs. The sentence is based on a vague provision of the penal code, which is often used arbitrarily to prosecute people who express criticism and opinions in a peaceful manner.
The court’s verdict and lengthy prison sentence appear to be motivated by the work of Floriane Irangabiye, who as a journalist extended the microphone to guests to express opinions critical of the government. This is a blatant attack on freedom of the press and opinion, and on the profession of journalist, which must be exercised with complete independence. It is also a message of intimidation against any voice raised to denounce the acts of violence committed against the population with impunity.
It is also yet another example of the gap between the President’s rhetoric denouncing a corrupt and iniquitous judicial system and the actions of his government.
Floriane Irangabiye’s lawyers lodged an appeal on January 23.
Fears of imprisonment
Imprisoned in an isolated prison, far from her family, Floriane would be subjected to body searches carried out in prison, as was the case with a police officer who bragged about it on social media. Moreover, even her visitors are said to be subjected to body searches in order to dissuade them from visiting her.
Given the conditions of his detention, we fear risks of harassment, a deterioration in his health and conditions linked to his detention.
For all these reasons :
ABC calls on the Burundian authorities to release Floriane Irangabiye immediately and unconditionally so that she can be reunited with her family.
ABC condemns the Burundian government’s hostility towards civil society and the media, and calls on it to implement fundamental reforms to remedy the lack of independence of the judiciary.
ABC calls on the Burundian authorities to stop harassing critical voices, to respect press freedom as a condition of democracy, and to allow journalists and the media to do their work without fear of reprisal.
ABC calls on the Canadian government to put pressure on the Burundian government for Floriane’s immediate and unconditional release.