Burundi : a local journalist arrested

Kenny Claude Nduwimana, journalist for Jayce TV, was arrested at his home on October 3, 2023. He is held at an undisclosed location. The police that arrested him did not communicate the reasons for his arrest. His family says they fear for his security. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Kenny Claude Nduwimana was apprehended after a police search carried out the same day at his residence. It is located in Buterere in the urban district of Ntahangwa, north of the commercial city Bujumbura.

His relatives say they fear for his safety.

Reasons

According to our sources, around fifteen police officers arrived at the home of the very controversial journalist on Tuesday afternoon.

“Nothing compromising was found at his home, which did not prevent the police from arresting him”, his neighbors said.

He was taken to a previously unknown location.

According to police sources, the journalist is suspected of collaborating with social media influencers to “interfere in the work of the grassroots authorities”.

In a meeting held this Tuesday by the mayor of the city of Bujumbura, Jimmy Hatungimana in Buterere, the speakers accused Kenny Claude Nduwimana of “substituting himself for justice and interfering in the activities of the local administration”.

“Since Tuesday, we have not been informed of the location of his detention”, lament his relatives who are demanding his release.

Third arrest

This member of the CNDD-FDD youth league, known for his productions on the 1972 massacres which killed more Hutus than Tutsis, calling the latter “blood drinkers who must be chased out of Burundi” was arrested in January and February 2021 and detained in an SNR (National Intelligence Service) cell in the commercial city Bujumbura.

At the time, the person concerned claimed to have been poisoned during his stay in an intelligence custody before retracting his statement.