Makamba: Young man sentenced to ten years in prison for “attacking the head of State” after mystical remarks

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, April 20, 2025 – A young man from Rumonge province (southwestern Burundi) was sentenced last Wednesday to ten years in prison by the High Court of Makamba (south). He was convicted for attacking the head of State, the CNDD-FDD Secretary General Révérien Ndikuriyo, and for undermining the state security.

The trial was held in flagrante delicto and behind closed doors, officially for reasons of “national security,” according to judicial authorities.

According to our information, the defendant, who claims to be a member of the Imbonerakure League (members of the youth league of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party in Burundi), reportedly claimed to know the alleged perpetrators of the poisoning of the ruling party’s secretary general. He reportedly claimed that President Évariste Ndayishimiye was involved in this case.

The young man presents himself as a witch doctor, a knowledge he says he inherited from his grandfather, supplemented by practices acquired during a stay in Nigeria. He reportedly claimed that his revelations stem from a mystical vision.

No lawyer, no witness

During the hearing, he appeared alone, without a lawyer, which raised concerns among some human rights defenders. Crying before judges, he attempted to explain that he had only transmitted a vision related to his practices, but his arguments were not accepted. The court ruled that his words undermined the institutional order and the reputation of the country’s highest authorities.

Opaque trial, mixed reactions

No evidence was made public, and no official reaction from the individuals cited was recorded. The opacity of the trial, as well as the severity of the judgment, fueled the debate.

While some welcomed a decision aimed at protecting institutions, others denounced a repressive drift against freedom of expression, even in a mystical form.

Disturbing precedents

This is not the first time that a citizen has been prosecuted for remarks deemed sensitive against the authorities. In March 2024, a civil servant in Rutana (southeast) was suspended for sharing a video criticizing governance. In August of the same year, a teacher in Gitega was arrested for satirical posts on social media. Both had denounced opaque procedures and the lack of a fair trial.

These cases, among others monitored by SOS Médias Burundi, illustrate an increasingly tense climate surrounding freedom of expression and the space granted to critical speech, whether political, symbolic, or mystical.

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A young man walks down a main street in the capital of Makamba province, where a court sentenced a young man accused of attacking the head of state to ten years in prison.