Geneva : the term of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi renewed

The vote took place on Thursday. Of the 47 states that make up the Council, 22 voted in favor of the reappointment of Fortuné Gaétan Zongo. Burundian authorities had not yet reacted to this decision.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

According to our sources within Burundian civil society organizations in favor of the reappointment of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi, it was the European Union that prepared and presented the resolution. It was adopted on Thursday in Geneva. Of the 47 States that make up the Council, 22 voted in favor of the reappointment of Fortuné Gaétan Zongo, 15 abstained and 10 voted against him.

According to the Human Rights Council, the human rights situation in the small East African nation continues to be characterized by “widespread impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations, the deteriorating security situation, and the increase in cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests.” It is amplified by a worsening economic crisis.

“The work of the UN Special Rapporteur is essential in a case like this, where there is no other independent mechanism mandated to examine the human rights situation in the country. Activities of the civil society and the media in Burundi are severely restricted, and the judicial system is controlled by the executive branch,” the Council recalls.

In June 2019, Burundian authorities closed the UN human rights office in the country. The Special Rapporteur also does not have access to the Burundian territory.

“Given these challenges, and in the run-up to the legislative elections scheduled for 2025, the independent examination and information gathering by the UN Special Rapporteur is of crucial importance,” the United Nations notes.

The UN calls on Burundian leaders to “begin to cooperate constructively with its Special Rapporteur, respect their obligations under the international human rights law, and end impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations”.

The Burundian government had not yet reacted to this decision. But the Burundian authorities have always denounced “the role of the United Nations Special Rapporteur”, accusing him of “working on behalf of countries and organizations that tarnish the image of the country and that of its institutions” and of “disregarding Burundi’s efforts to respect human rights and reconciliation between its daughters and sons”.

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File photo : On the left, Fortuné Gaétan Zongo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi whose term was renewed on October 10, 2024