BUJUMBURA, Burundi
Burundi freed some 1,300 prisoners on Monday at the beginning of a presidential pardon, which aims to free up overcrowded jails.
At a
prison in Bujumbura, almost 1,000 inmates left their cells at a ceremony
attended by President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
A total
of 5,255 inmates, 40 percent of Burundi's prison population, will be released
in the coming weeks. 3,000 will be imminently released and another 2,000 will
have their sentences cut.
“In our
country, what has crippled us is a lot of crimes, offenses committed that the
state has not sanctioned so that some people have thought that committing a
crime is a sign of bravery," said President Ndayishimiye, warning
detainees against a relapse.
"The
blood crimes of the past have their roots there when people see that killing is
not a crime."
The
detainees, including those arrested in 2015 following the demonstrations
against the third term of the late President Nkurunziza, say they are relieved.
They
also thanked Ndayishimiye and hope that others will have the same chance.
"I
feel happy because this is the first time that a president has come to free the
prisoners himself," said former prisoner Kabura Muhamed who was one of the
beneficiaries.
"Even
in our families, they have already had this good news. It’s joy. God bless him
for this act. I was imprisoned in 2016 for political motives."
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