A teacher tortured by police forces demands justice

03.06.2016 ( Last modified: 12.06.2017 )

Until 2011, Clement (alias), a political opponent, used to work as a teacher. He has been arrested at home by security forces, under the false pretext of threatening the security of the state.

Taken by force to a police station, the security personal attempted to extort a confession from him. On the spot, he has been subjected to several acts of torture and received death threats. The physical and psychological sufferings inflicted on Clement during that event were extremely severe, to such an extent that the after-effects persisted for several years.

But Clement did not let himself be down casted. While in prison, he has tried to obtain justice by using all legal means and has pursued this fight after his release.

Unfortunately, Clément has quickly been confronted with the ill will of the Burundian authorities. Only once heard in this case, his legal record has been lost, obliterating his chances of obtaining justice.

On the other hand, the trial for threatening the security of the state which he has been subjected to has continued as if nothing had happened. Throughout the trial, the accused has repeatedly denounced the torture of which he was a victim, to no avail. At the end of his trial, Clement has been sentenced to several years in prison. He has eventually been acquitted.

 

Procedure

Three years after the incident, the Burundian legal system has proved to be incapable of assisting Clement. As of now, the torture he has suffered remains unpunished. Based on this observation, TRIAL International decided to bring this case to the United Nations, at the international level.

The plaintiff’s requests are simple: the authorities must recognize the torture inflicted to the victim; Their responsibility in their execution and pay reparations to the victim for the wrongdoing. Moreover, independently of this procedure, the Burundian State must ensure that the victim is not in danger because of the steps taken.

The procedure is underway.

 

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