Ngozi : journalist Sandra Muhoza back in court, her lawyers demand her provisional release

SOS Médias Burundi

Ngozi, October 7, 2025 — After more than a year in detention, journalist Sandra Muhoza, correspondent of the independent media outlet La Nova Burundi, appeared on Tuesday before the First Instance Court of Ngozi, in the north of the country.
This highly anticipated hearing comes after several months of legal uncertainty surrounding her case.

The journalist’s lawyers, led by Prosper Niyoyankana, argued for provisional release. According to them, their client’s detention has been unlawful since the decision of the Mukaza Court of Appeal, which declared itself incompetent to hear the case.

“The recognition of this lack of jurisdiction effectively nullifies all actions taken so far in the proceedings,” declared Mr. Niyoyankana, considering that the journalist “was unfairly deprived of her liberty for over a year.”

A long judicial imbroglio

Sentenced in December 2024 to 21 months in prison for a message shared in a WhatsApp group, Sandra Muhoza had her conviction and arrest warrant invalidated on June 13, 2025, by the Mukaza Court of Appeal, in the commercial capital of Bujumbura.
However, she remained detained at Bujumbura Central Prison (Mpimba) until her transfer to Ngozi Prison on September 26. This transfer followed the decision to try the case in the province where the alleged offense was committed.

Disputed charges

Sandra Muhoza is prosecuted for publishing, according to judicial authorities, information deemed “likely to disturb public order and incite ethnic hatred.”
Her relatives reject these accusations, which they believe are politically motivated and see as an attempt at intimidation aimed at silencing the independent press.

Repeated calls for her release

For several months, journalists’ rights organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have consistently demanded Sandra Muhoza’s release, denouncing her abusive detention.

“Not only should she never have been imprisoned, but she should not spend another second there,” said Sadibou Marong, director of RSF’s Sub-Saharan Africa desk.

These organizations believe the journalist’s case illustrates the persistent legal uncertainty surrounding detentions in Burundi and the decline in press freedom in the small east African nation.

A long-awaited decision

The Ngozi First Instance Court will now have to rule in the coming days on the request for provisional release.
This case, which has become emblematic, has rekindled the debate on freedom of expression in Burundi, where independent media continue to operate under close surveillance.