Burundi: the Ngozi prosecution opposes the release of lawyer Nkina

The prosecutor at the Ngozi Court of Appeal (northern Burundi) opposed the release of lawyer Tony Germain Nkina on Wednesday. The latter had been acquitted by the Ngozi Court of Appeal the day before, as had his co-defendant Appolinaire Hitimana. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

It is by appeal in cassation that the prosecution at the Ngozi Court of Appeal opposed the release of lawyer and former Burundian activist Tony Germain Nkina. Judges at the appeal chamber of the same Court had acquitted him on Tuesday and he was expected to be automatically released.

The General Prosecutor’s Office at the Ngozi Court of Appeal wants the ruling of the first judge to be upheld, which sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of one million Burundi francs.

This ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court on December 6 before the Ngozi Court of Appeal acquitted him on December 20.

Tony Germain Nkina, a lawyer from Kayanza (northern Burundi) was arrested on October 13, 2020 in the district of Kabarore (same province) while visiting his client. He was then temporarily detained by the SNR (National Intelligence Service) in the province before being transferred to Ngozi prison (north). He was accused of collaborating with the Red-Tabara armed group, which is attributed to attacks that have been perpetrated in different localities of the province of Kayanza this year.

The first judge had sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of one million Burundi francs (about 500 US dollars). His client, whom he was assisting in the context of a land dispute and who had been arrested with him, had been found guilty of complicity in the same offense of “collaboration with rebels who attacked Burundi”, and sentenced to two years in prison, in addition to a fine of 500,000 Burundi francs.

The lawyer for this former activist or Human Rights Watch, that has always demanded his release and that welcomed his acquittal on Tuesday, was not available on Wednesday evening to respond to this appeal.