Bujumbura : Journalist Didier Ndihokubwayo faces justice after nearly 11 months in detention

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, October 13, 2025 — Journalist Didier Ndihokubwayo, a contributor to Radio Maria Burundi, was to appear on Tuesday before the Mukaza First Instance Court in the commercial capital, Bujumbura. He is prosecuted for “illegal possession of weapons” and for presenting himself as a senior officer working at the Presidency.

Ndihokubwayo has been detained at Bujumbura Central Prison (Mpimba) since December 2024, for nearly 11 months. Before his transfer to Mpimba, he was held for several days in the National Intelligence Service’s cells in Bujumbura, where he says he suffered what he describes as physical and psychological torture, including beatings, confiscation of his personal belongings (phones, money, documents), and pressure to sign documents he hadn’t read.

The journalist explains that his initial arrest was linked to a Rwandan visitor, Evariste Mugisha, whom he had attempted to assist during a border checkpoint at the Burundi-Tanzania border in December 2024. According to Ndihokubwayo, his visitor was briefly detained before being eventually released and handed over to Rwandan authorities, while the journalist remained in detention.

Since his arrest, Ndihokubwayo claims to have not been interrogated regularly or informed of the progress of his case for several months. He and his family dispute what they consider to be trumped-up accusations.

Didier Ndihokubwayo’s appearance on Tuesday before the Mukaza court in the commercial capital, Bujumbura, will be a key step in determining the continuation of his detention and the legal proceedings against him.