What We Do

Mr H.T., a Burundian citizen, was a member of the CNDD-FDD, the party in power in Burundi, before joining an opposition party where he held various prominent positions. Harassment began immediately after Mr H.T. switched parties. Old friends and colleagues from the CNDD-FDD insistently tried to convince him to come back, but their proposals gradually became threats....

At the beginning of 2008, in front of his home, Jean (real name withheld) listened to the story of Fabien (ibidem), a member of his family. The latter told him of a recent altercation with a representative of the State, who had tried to extort official documents from him. During the discussion, the same representative burst in front of Fabien, once again insisting to...

Fanny (real name withheld) was only nine years old when she was raped by a military officer. He was a family friend and regularly visited Fanny and her parents. One night, while patrolling in Fanny’s neighborhood, he forcefully took the young girl to his domicile. There, after taking his clothes off, he undressed the victim and raped her. Several times, he threate...

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 receiv...

Jean-Pierre (real name withheld) was a renowned Burundian lawyer and an opponent of the government. In 2011, he was stopped and detained in a witness corruption case. He was charged for witness subordination – an infringement which, regardless of its veracity, has been time-barred since 2006. This pretext concealed the real reason for his arrest: Jean-Pierre’s pol...

Désiré (not his real name), a Burundian citizen, had joined the National Liberation Forces (FNL) movement when he was scarcely more than a child. After his demobilization, he decided to live a peaceful life with his wife and their child. But the calm was short-lived. In 2010, a wave of insecurity swept across the country after the opposition contested the election...

André (real name withheld) was a ranked army member. One night, he was jogging with his friends when gun shots suddenly rang out. Armed men, some of whom were in civilian clothes and others in police uniform, rushed in and requested everyone to leave the premises. Unsure how to react, André and his friends remained in place. Within minutes, André was tied up, sear...

Claude (real name withheld) was stopped in the street by Burundian State agents. Without any explanations, they simply threatened him with a weapon and ordered him to follow them, confiscating his car keys. During Claude’s interrogation, they tried by all means to make him “confess” fictitious facts: blows all over his body with bats and iron wires, suspension by...

On 17 December 2014, agents of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) arrested F. at his home, without any arrest warrant. He was immediately locked up in an ANR solitary confinement cell and tortured over a long period of time to make him “confess” to stealing a large sum of money from his former associate, who happened to be very close to the ANR Commander. Despite...

Ms H. works at Panzi Hospital alongside Dr Mukwege, helping female victims of sexual violence. Her work had already attracted several threats and, on 19 June 2013, she was abducted from her home by six armed men. Kidnapped for three days, she was raped and abused. On the night of the third day, Ms H. was dumped – handcuffed and unconscious – on the roadside. Ms H....

N. was raped at her home in 2014 by a Colonel of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). He was her husband’s colleague. Like countless victims of rape, N. was place in the dock by her community, leaving her isolated and stigmatized for a crime of which she was a victim. Despite the pressure put on her, N. had the courage to file a compla...

Fred Bauma is one of the most prominent figures of the LUCHA (standing for Lutte pour le Changement, the Fight for Change), a well-known NGO demanding democratic change in DRC. In March 2015, Fred was arrested by State agents during a peaceful demonstration in Kinshasa. Accused of inciting violence and rebellion, he was immediately placed in detention. TRIAL I...