Rumonge: two men including a CNDD-FDD official sentenced for outrage on authority

Both people are from Mutambara hill in the Gatete zone, in the commune and province of Rumonge (southwest of Burundi). They were among others, convicted for outrage on authority after pleading guilty in hearings they were not assisted by lawyers. They were sentenced to three and five months in prison and to pay a fine of one hundred thousand Burundian francs and fifty thousand by the provincial court on Tuesday after a swift trial. INFOS SOS Médias Burundi

Alphée Ninyibuka, hill secretary of the CNDD-FDD, the presidential party was accused of contempt of the governor of Rumonge and of racial aversion by spreading messages likely to create ethnic divisions, on social networks.

According to a police source, “a hateful message leaked when Alphée Ninyibuka sent it to one of his superiors”.

The accused wanted to oppose the appointment of a Tutsi to the position of hill chief of Mutambara to replace the former hill chief, currently in detention.

He pleaded guilty to the “outrage on the authority of the governor of Rumonge”, but explained that the shared message had been read on an online newspaper. However, he could not convince the court and the public prosecutor on the indirect nature of the message.

His co-accused was charged by the prosecution with contempt of public authority. Hamisi Mpitabakana also pleaded guilty.

After the deliberation, Alphée Ninyibuka was sentenced to five months and a fine of one hundred thousand Burundian francs. Hamisi Mpitabakana was punished with three months in prison and a fine of fifty thousand Burundian francs.

The two had been arrested last week at the Rumonge provincial police station.
They had gone there to hold a sit-in in front of the police station cells.

They demanded the release of the hill leader at Mutambara. Gashindi Sylvain has been in detention since Wednesday, last week for concubinage.

Majidi Jonathan, who filed a complaint against him, was arrested last Saturday and detained in the Rumonge provincial police station cell, before being released the following evening. In the small East African nation, proven cohabitation is banned for ruling party and administrative officials.