Bujumbura : journalist Willy Kwizera appears before the prosecutor’s office, but his perpetrators remain at large

SOS Médias Burundi | Bujumbura, July 3, 2025

Journalist Willy Kwizera, of Radio Bonesha FM, appeared on Thursday before the Mukaza prosecutor’s office in Bujumbura, the commercial capital of Burundi, as part of the investigation into the violent attack he suffered in the Mutanga campus of the University of Burundi.

Willy Kwizera appeared to give his version of events and support the judicial investigations. However, the prime suspect, Audry Niyomukiza, a student suspected of having ordered the attack, did not appear, despite the summons set for July 3, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. local time. According to our sources, Audry Niyomukiza appeared the day before, without providing an explanation for his absence on the scheduled date. This situation is delaying the judicial process.

Burundian journalists are calling on the prosecutor’s office to conduct thorough investigations and do everything possible to ensure the truth comes to light and the perpetrators are arrested.

A review of the facts

On April 28, 2025, while investigating the precarious living conditions of Burundian students, Willy Kwizera was violently attacked by six students’ representatives in the Mutanga campus. He was forcibly taken to university premises, where he was beaten—including with a rifle butt—received death threats, and was forced to sign documents under duress.

Concerns and reactions

Willy Kwizera’s family and the Burundian journalist community express concern about the slow pace of the investigation and the absence of the alleged perpetrators. “This isn’t just Willy Kwizera’s case. It’s a question of press freedom in Burundi,” said a colleague of the journalist, contacted by SOS Médias Burundi.

At the national level, the president of the National Communication Council (CNC), Espérance Ndayizeye, publicly condemned this attack and demanded that full investigation be carried out.

Internationally, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denounced this alarming attack on the Burundian press. They urged the authorities to guarantee the safety of journalists and avoid impunity in such cases, which contribute to a climate of fear and censorship.

Willy Kwizera’s relatives and press freedom advocates now await concrete action from the Burundian justice system.