Burundi : members of the LGBTQ community fear persecution after President Neva’s remarks

In Burundi, people in same-sex relationships feel they are at great risk. This came after remarks by President Évariste Ndayishimiye who called for “homosexuals to be stoned” last Friday. The Iteka League, the oldest human rights group in Burundi which works from exile, condemned the comments of the Burundian head of state which it considers “a call for the lynching of LGBTQ people”. Burundian authorities preferred to calm the situation by going through the ambassador of the small East African nation in Brussels, to partners “who can keep their funds if they want to impose this abomination on us”, according to the remarks by Mr. Ndayishimiye. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Under cover of anonymity for fear of reprisals, homosexuals from two LGBTQ associations in Burundi say they are terrified by the Burundian president’s remarks against them.

For Rwamwaka*, the words of President Évariste Ndayishimiye constitute “a real danger for us”.

“It’s a real license that he issued to kill (us). These remarks in fact exceed all the limits of decency specific to the presidential office. Homosexuality is not only a question of human rights, it is also and above all a question of human dignity”, he said.

“What is abominable”, he adds, “is the fact of calling for the crime of a part of the population, not guilty of what they have done but rather of what they are”. He alludes to the words of President Neva who described same-sex marriage as an “abominable practice”.

Butisi* goes further : “Being stoned? No, this is unacceptable! Even if we do not generally express it, at the moment it is the worst because we could even assimilate someone to a homosexual while he is not precisely because of these remarks, this call to stoning simply with the aim of harming him.”

“We want to be reassured”, he insisted.

Ntibagayimvo* is very disappointed and speaks of “unacceptable comments”.

“I would say that it is inconceivable for a country that must be democratic. So, freedom is no longer a practical right. Our associations could see their approval withdrawn even though we have been helping several people in the fight against HIV/AIDS for around ten years.
We are aware that the law punishes homosexuality, once the culprits are caught in the act, but everything risks changing and things can take a different turn”, he fears.

Burundian authorities are trying to reassure their Western partners

While President Ndayishimiye announced on Friday, December 29, 2023 that powerful countries which impose same-sex marriage on poor countries as a condition of granting aid, can keep their aid and funding”, the Ambassador of Burundi to Belgium and with the European Union tried to ease tensions.

“It seems that certain international media have misinterpreted part of the speech of the President of the Republic of Burundi”, Ambassador Thérence Ntahiraja strives to clarify in a press release signed in Brussels on January 2, 2024.

“Indeed, His Excellency Mr. Évariste NDAYISHIMYE, never ordered the use of stoning of homosexuals as some interpret”, continues the Burundian diplomat.

“On the other hand, in speaking on this issue, the Head of State made use of figures of speech and linguistic images by referring to holy scriptures such as the Bible to show the seriousness of these practices which are contrary to the laws and cultural values of Burundi”, he said, before “reassuring Burundi’s partners and its allies that Burundi abides by a rule of law where all crime is punished by the penal code and the process follows the rules and procedures defined by the law”.

These “unnecessarily and clumsily given” explanations in no way resolve the misunderstanding created by the Burundian president on such a sensitive issue in the eyes of Burundi’s partners because “they do not come from a very appropriate source and channel”, Internet users on social media, especially Burundians were outraged.

The Iteka League condemns President Ndayishimiye’s remarks which it describes as a call for lynching

“[….] President Ndayishimiye called for the lynching of LGBT+ people. This type of comment endangers LGBT+ people and
creates an environment harmful to the exercise of their human rights such as the right to life, the right to privacy, the right to access to health care, the right to non-discrimination,
[…]”, details the oldest human rights organization in Burundi, which now works from exile.

It recalls that “all these rights are, however, enshrined in international instruments linking Burundi (including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and whose substance
is an integral part of the Constitution of Burundi.

“We still condemn
further mobilization of hatred against an already vulnerable group in Burundi.”

As the legislative elections, notably scheduled for next year, approach, the Iteka League fears generally tragic consequences.

The Iteka League reminds President Ndayishimiye that the current context is characterized by a phenomenon of popular justice which is already a real problem in the Burundian society.

In 2023 alone, the organization claims to have documented 37 cases of mob justice in the small East African nation.

It calls on President Neva to “take necessary measures for the protection of human rights, including
those of vulnerable groups including LGBT+ people”.