UN rights chief concerned about ‘unexplained killings’ in Burundi News
UN rights chief concerned about ‘unexplained killings’ in Burundi

[JURIST] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official profile] expressed concern [press release] Monday about “an alarming upsurge in arrests, detention and killings” that have been occurring in Burundi since the beginning of September. Zeid said that many bodies have been found bound with their hands behind their back in the streets of Bujumbura with marks that appear to be consistent with torture. He said it appears that young adults have been the most targeted group of individuals and the killings seem to be linked to state institutions in an effort to curb opposition movements. Zeid expressed concern that because these extrajudicial killings have gone unpunished, people may be more inclined to take the law into their own hands, which “will plunge the country back into its bloody past.”

Burundi has faced unrest since President Pierre Nkurunziza [BBC profile] announced his decision to seek a third term in April. The unrest intensified in May after the Constitutional Court ruled that he could seek a third term [JURIST report] in office without violating the country’s constitution, which states that presidents shall be universally elected into office for a term of five years and can renew the term once. Those opposing Nkurunziza’s bid for a third presidential term claimed that both the constitution and the Arusha peace deal [agreement, PDF] that ended the 2005 civil war state that no one should be president for more than 10 years. Those backing Nkurunziza claimed that this does not apply to him since he was not voted in for his first term but selected by lawmakers. Nkurunziza was elected to a third term [JURIST report] in July, leading to public protest and international criticism.