BUJUMBURA, Burundi
The head of a small opposition
party in Burundi was detained on Tuesday after it criticised the government on
social media, a judicial source and party official said.
Kefa Nibizi, president of the
Council for Democracy and Sustainable Development in Burundi (Codebu), was
being held in Bujumbura's central prison accused of "undermining the
internal security of the state".
On Friday, the party posted a
critical comment about the government on X, formerly Twitter, to mark the 62nd
anniversary of the assassination of Burundian independence hero Prince Louis
Rwagasore.
"At a time when Burundi
is languishing in unprecedented misery because of the failing leadership, the
Codebu party invites the population not to give in to resignation and to
follow the example of Prince Louis Rwagasore, to redress the situation which is
only getting worse," it said.
In a series of posts on
Tuesday, the party voiced "regret" that its comment had not been
understood as intended and sought to clarify the message.
Codebu Deputy President
Jacqueline Hatungimana called for Nibizi's release, saying the comments did not
justify his incarceration.
"We are surprised, we
don't understand how he was imprisoned just after being questioned for saying
that there are some shortcomings at the current level of leadership,"
Hatungimana told reporters.
Nibizi's arrest comes as
Burundi's sacked former prime minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni is on trial
accused of undermining national security and insulting the president, although
the two cases are not linked.
On Monday, prosecutors also
laid another charge against Bunyoni of "attempting to assassinate the head
of state" as they opposed his bid for bail, according to sources close to
the case.
Since coming to power in 2020,
Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye has been hailed for gradually ending
years of isolation under his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza's chaotic and bloody
rule.
But he has failed to improve a
dire record on human rights and political freedoms, and Burundi also remains
one of the vulnerable countries on the planet.
Last week, the UN Human Rights
Council renewed the mandate of a special rapporteur on Burundi's rights
situation for another year and urged the government to fully cooperate with
him.
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