SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, May 7, 2025 – On May 5, the Bujumbura Court of Appeal reopened the case of journalist Kenny Claude Nduwimana, detained since October 2023 despite the expiry of the appeal deadline. His reaction, tinged with indignation, raises questions about the independence of the judiciary in the small east African nation.

Journalist Kenny Claude Nduwimana, jailed in Mpimba central prison in the commercial city of Bujumbura for over a year, no longer hides his outrage. Faced with what he describes as judicial manipulation, he denounces a two-tiered system.

« When will the laws finally be respected? » Burundi presents itself as a state governed by the rule of law, so why are laws trampled upon instead of being enforced?” he asks in a message sent to SOS Médias Burundi.

He continues, even more incisively :
“Why, in the city of Bujumbura, do the authorities responsible for land affairs defy court decisions, unlike in other regions of the country? Could this disregard for the law be linked to corruption or a lack of understanding of legal texts?”

In a more literary tone, he quotes Jean de La Fontaine :
“Depending on whether you are powerful or miserable, the court’s judgments will render you white or black.”

On May 5, 2025, the Bujumbura Court of Appeal decided to reopen his case, reviving a case that had been considered closed since December 2024, when a certificate of non-appeal had been issued. Kenny Claude Nduwimana was sentenced to eight months in prison on August 26, 2024, after serving ten months in pretrial detention. In principle, he should have been released.

However, the prosecution filed an appeal on January 21, 2025, more than a month after the expiry of the 90-day period provided for by law. The journalist’s defense team deemed the appeal late and therefore illegal.

« If the law is universal and Burundians are equal before the law, why am I in prison while my co-accused is free? » he also asked, referring to former diplomat Médard Muhiza, his co-accused, who was never incarcerated.

At the recent surprise hearing held inside Mpimba central prison, only one of Nduwimana’s lawyers was present. The defense denounced several procedural violations, but the court still decided to adjourn the case for further consideration.

In January, Sixte Vigny Nimuraba, then chairperson of the National Independent Human Rights Commission (CNIDH), expressed his concerns before the National Assembly : « He remains in Mpimba while he should be free. Do you think this won’t have consequences for the country? » A few months later, Nimuraba fled the country, targeted by suspicions of embezzlement, amid growing tensions between institutions.

Accused of fraud and insulting his honor via social media, Kenny Claude Nduwimana believes he is being targeted for having denounced cases of the theft of public land. He maintains his innocence and demands that the law be respected :

« If the Burundian justice system is truly independent, I must be released. »

Beyond this individual case, the case rekindles the debate on the impartiality of the Burundian justice system and its instrumentalization in a climate increasingly hostile to press freedom.