Release of Burundi journalist sparks celebrations in streets of capital
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Version 0 of 1. Thousands of people have marched through Burundi’s capital to celebrate the release from jail of a popular journalist and government critic, months ahead of key elections. Vast crowds sang and danced on the streets of Bujumbura a day after Bob Rugurika, the director of the popular independent African Public Radio, was released on bail. There was no official figure for how many took to the streets, but residents said the mass rally was the largest they could remember. “I’m 50 and I have never seen such a crowd in the streets,” said Fabian, a teacher. The only event comparable in size he could remember were celebrations for Burundi’s first elected president, Melchior Ndadaye, in 1993. The arrest of Rugurika for “complicity” in the murder of three Italian nuns sparked protests by civil rights activists and fellow journalists, who have accused the government of doing all it can to sideline political challengers ahead of elections in May and June, including arrests, harassment and a clampdown on free speech. The radio is considered close to the opposition, and it often interviews those who say they are victims of injustice or discrimination. “I have no words to thank the Burundian population,” Rugurika said in a radio broadcast, after entering the capital followed by supporters crammed into dozens of cars and on motorbikes. “Thanks to your support, your commitment … I’m free at last.” The interior ministry had initially banned demonstrations, but the huge crowds took police by surprise and they pulled back to leave marchers to continue peacefully. I’m 50 and I have never seen such a crowd in the streets Thierry Vircoulon of the International Crisis Group said the demonstration showed that people in the capital were “fed up with those in power and their methods”. Rugurika was arrested on 21 January after broadcasting the purported confession of a man who claimed he was one of the killers of the nuns. A court granted him bail of 15m Burundi francs (£6,155) on Wednesday, and his lawyer, Lambert Nigarura, said a proper investigation into the “real murderers” of the three nuns was needed. For broadcasting the alleged confession, Rugurika was charged with complicity, breach of public solidarity and disclosing confidential information regarding a case. The supposed confession contradicted a police account of the crime and implicated the security services. Burundi, a small landlocked country in central Africa’s Great Lakes region, emerged from a 13-year civil war in 2006. The political climate remains fractious ahead of local, parliamentary and presidential polls beginning in May. The three Roman Catholic nuns, aged between 75 and 83, were murdered at a convent north of Bujumbura in September. Rights groups have warned of the risk of violence ahead of the elections, with a string of attacks including a five-day battle last month between the army and rebels. President Pierre Nkurunziza, in power since 2005, is expected to run for a third term despite opponents’ claims that a new mandate would violate Burundi’s constitution. |