Bubanza : an imbonerakure sentenced to ten years in prison for rape of a minor

The provincial court of Bubanza (western Burundi) sentenced Bienvenu Irakoze to 10 years in prison and to pay compensation of 2 million Burundi francs for raping a 12-year-old girl. The perpetrator of the rape is a member of the youth league of the CNDD-FDD party. He pleaded guilty. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

According to a source close to the case, the rape was perpetrated on March 27 by an Imbonerakure who worked as a domestic servant in Rugunga village in Bubanza district.

“The parents were away, they were at work, while the 12-year-old girl was alone at home with the servant.
It’s exam time right now. They left her at home and their servant Bienvenu Irakoze raped her,” neighbors say.

In front of the judges, Irakoze pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness.
“I put this girl on a mat, and I raped her,” he confessed in a public hearing on March 29.

The victim, despite her suffering, did not dare to denounce her tormentor because he had threatened her. It was nurses who noticed the crime when she was taken to a local health facility by her parents after only alerting them that she was feeling pain.

“He even intimidated the victim who, despite her suffering, refrained from revealing her illness to her parents while she was suffering. She only declared her illness to the hospital where she went for treatment “, said a family member.

The perpetrator was sentenced to 10 years of penal servitude and payment of two million francs in damages.