The UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi has concluded in a latest report that the general elections that took place in the republic in May were accompanied by grave human rights violations, the UN Human Rights Council said in a press release on Thursday, citing the commission's document
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2020) The UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi has concluded in a latest report that the general elections that took place in the republic in May were accompanied by grave human rights violations, the UN Human Rights Council said in a press release on Thursday, citing the commission's document.
Presidential and parliamentary elections in Burundi took place on May 20. Evariste Ndayishimiye, the former secretary-general of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, was elected president with 68.7 percent of the vote, while CNDD-FDD secured 72 out of the 100 seats in the parliament.
"The Commission's report outlines the serious human rights violations occurring in the context of the 2020 elections, including summary executions, arbitrary detentions and arrests, torture and sexual violence. With so much at stake at these multiple elections, the aim was to prevent Burundi's main opposition party, the CNL (National Freedom Council), from gaining seats. To that end, authorities targeted not only CNL members and supporters, while at the same time muzzling independent observers, including journalists and civil society representatives, and imposing tight control over ordinary people," the press release said.
The agency said that the situation around human rights in the African country had not improved, and policy shifts, appointments and public statements by the new government caused more concerns rather than hopes for a better future.
"The democratic space remains very narrow, impunity persists, and there is no indication that the level of human rights violations has abated under the new Government," the press release said, adding that on the contrary, those subject to international sanctions for their alleged responsibility in human rights violations in 2015 now occupy senior positions in the new administration.
This year, the commission also looked for the first time into the issue of sexual violence against men in Burundi and established that it is a common intelligence gathering tool, often used during detention at the National Intelligence Service.
