Bunyoni affair: the former prime minister deplores the inhumane detention conditions and pleads for his provisional release

First public appearance Thursday of former Prime Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni before the Supreme Court. The hearing took place at Gitega central prison, under heavy security surveillance. The former Hutu rebel, who faces up to 30 years in prison, denounced “unacceptable conditions of my detention” and pleaded for his provisional release. The public prosecutor objected. The court has not ruled, its decision will be known in the days to come. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Six other defendants including police colonel Désiré Uwamahoro, former commander of the Anti-Riot Brigade, Samuel Destiné Bapfumukeko, an intelligence executive and Côme Niyonsaba, former Bunyoni engineer, also appeared. They also asked the court to release them provisionally.

Unacceptable detention conditions

Before the Supreme Court judges, the trial was not heard on the merits, the judges first exhausted the questions of form. Thus, General Alain Guillaume Bunyoni supported by his lawyer spoke of the poor conditions of detention.

“I am detained in a small cell with three doors locked with padlocks. There are two police officers constantly monitoring me. In case of a problem, it is difficult for me to be evacuated because the keys are kept by the person in charge of the Gitega prison and the regional police commissioner,” regretted Alain Guillaume Bunyoni.

Release on bail

He pleaded for bail, citing a chronic illness.

“I am developing advanced type 2 diabetes. Routine treatments have not led to an improvement in my state of health. I am ready to pay the bail and moreover the courts have seized my real estate and a sum of 300 million BIF that I am ready to give as security,” pleaded the former Hutu rebel.

The representative of the public prosecutor requested that General Bunyoni be kept in prison for “preservation of public order” and that he continue to “benefit from care while in prison like other detainees”.

Other people prosecuted

Police Colonel Désiré Uwamahoro, former commander of the Anti-Riot Brigade, assisted by his lawyer also pleaded for provisional release especially since so far “there are no witnesses, no victims and indications of guilt to support the accusations against him”, they argued.

“Police colonel Désiré Uwamahoro is an officer who does not respect his hierarchy, capable of all evils and can escape in case of provisional release,” replied the representative of the public prosecutor.

Another defendant who was heard by the judges of the supreme court is Samuel Destiné Bapfumukeko. He said that “I have spinal injuries and had surgery on my lower back”, which the public prosecutor rejected, citing “the preservation of public peace”. He was also assisted by a lawyer.

Four other detainees including Côme Niyonsaba, former Bunyoni engineer, appeared at the same Gitega prison. They did not raise any shortcomings regarding the form.

“We are ready to continue the trial on the merits without legal assistance,” they told the judges.

Cell searched

A daughter of former Prime Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni gave him a small piece of paper after the hearing. The local intelligence officer and police went to search Bunyoni’s cell.

“They found that there was a telephone number on the piece of paper. They thought that he was in possession of a cell phone. However, the police officers who were monitoring his cell received a formal order: the day we will find a telephone in this cell, you will enter it to share it. No telephone was discovered there,” prison sources reassured.

Enhanced security

The trial took place at Gitega central prison, far from microphones, cameras, pens, watches, glasses, etc.

Several heavily armed police officers had been deployed under the command of the regional commissioner in Gitega Jérôme Ntibibogora as well as several agents from the national intelligence service.

Several residents went to attend this hearing which took place at the Gitega central prison where Mr. Bunyoni has been detained since last July, according to our sources.

“No one was allowed in with their phone. All people were searched before entering. Visits were also suspended and all surrounding streets blocked by the police,” say witnesses who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi.

Debates at the prison

The Burundian judicial authorities have decided that the proceedings will take place in Gitega prison.

“A room has been set up for this purpose,” prison and judicial sources confided Wednesday evening.

Prosecuted for “undermining the internal security of the State, undermining the proper functioning of the national economy,…illegal possession of weapons and contempt of the Head of State”, in particular, according to the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic and the Supreme Court, the former Hutu rebel risks up to 30 years in prison.

Several national and international organizations have demanded that he be guaranteed “a fair trial”, and regretted that he be judged “for the real crimes he committed in the past, especially in his capacity as minister in charge of security”. The case was taken in deliberation.