Ngozi : Burundian justice persists in illegality to keep journalist Sandra Muhoza behind bars

SOS Médias Burundi

Ngozi, November 20, 2025 — Independent journalist Sandra Muhoza appeared on Wednesday before the Ngozi Court of Appeal, in Butanyerera province in the north of the small east African nation, in a hearing where procedural irregularities were once again brought to light.

Accompanied by three determined lawyers, she faces a justice system accused of manipulating the rules to keep her in prison for over a year and a half.

Arrested in March 2024, Sandra Muhoza was initially detained in Bujumbura, the commercial capital, before being transferred to Ngozi prison, where she is currently incarcerated.

An opaque case transfer : the defense denounces a judicial setup

Her case, initially handled by the Mukaza Court of Appeal in Bujumbura, the commercial capital, was allegedly transferred to Ngozi.

But according to her lawyers, this transfer has no legal basis :

no official document,

no committal order,

no notification.

“We have no legal record of this transfer. Nothing. It’s a judicial fabrication designed to keep a journalist in detention,” denounces one of her lawyers.

Prolonged detention despite a procedure “tainted by illegality”

Sentenced in December 2024 to 21 months in prison for a message shared in a WhatsApp group, Sandra Muhoza—a journalist for the independent media outlet La Nova Burundi—has become a symbol of the pressure exerted on press freedom in the country.

The charges against her—alleged damage to “Burundi’s image” and “ethnic hatred”—are described as vague and politically motivated by her lawyers.

“Her current detention has no legal basis. Neither the jurisdiction, nor the arrest warrant, nor the previous decisions comply with the law,” argues the defense.

The prosecution, however, continues to demand that she remain behind bars, despite the manifestly irregular nature of the case.

The Mukaza Court acknowledged its incompetence… yet still issued decisions

This is one of the most serious contradictions in this case :
The Mukaza Court of Appeal in Bujumbura itself declared that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.

And yet, despite this declaration, it issued several judicial orders, some of which directly extended the journalist’s detention.

For the defense, “an incompetent court cannot legally issue any decisions. These actions should be simply annulled.”

A review accepted… but deprivation of liberty continues

Faced with the defense’s arguments, the Ngozi Court of Appeal agreed to open a full review of all decisions made in the previous stages of the case. A step forward, certainly, but insufficient according to her lawyers as long as the journalist remains in prison.

The decision regarding her request for provisional release is expected within the legal timeframe of 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Sandra Muhoza remains locked up in Ngozi prison — a symbol of the judicial persecution of independent voices in Burundi.