On 14 April 2010, human rights defender Mr Gabriel Rufyiri received information reporting the imminent issuance of a warrant for his arrest, following a complaint addressed to the Attorney General from the Minister of Public Security.

Further Information

In his complaint, the Minister requested to prosecute Gabriel Rufyiri for the positions he had expressed regarding a proposed status granting privileges to Generals of the National Police and the Army.

Gabriel Rufyiri is the president of /L'Obervatoire de Lutte contre la Corruption et les Malversations Économiques /(OLUCOME – The Observatory to Combat Corruption and Economic Embezzlement). He is also among the Burundian human rights defenders who coordinate the “Justice for Ernest Manirumva” campaign which seeks to put pressure on the Burundian authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible for the murder of Ernest Manirumva, vice-president of OLUCOME, who was killed in April 2009.

Gabriel Rufyiri received information on 14 April 2010 reporting the imminent issuance of a warrant for his arrest. The following day, 15 April 2010, plainclothes police officers searched for Gabriel Rufyiri at the location where he used to leave his vehicle more than a year ago, although they did not encounter him.

This episode follows a complaint sent by the Minister of Public Security to the Attorney General of the Republic, dated 2 April 2010, requesting the prosecution of Gabriel Rufyiri. This request was motivated by the publication in the media of a letter sent by OLUCOME to the President of the Defence and Security Commission of the National Assembly in relation to a proposed status granting privileges to Generals of the National Police and the Army.

The Minister of Public Security's complaint described OLUCOME's letter as “disinformation and intoxication having no other aim than to provoke discontent among soldiers and police towards the Generals of the National Defence Forces and the Commissioners of the National Police, and the breakdown of trust between these institutions and the people”.

The complaint continues by demanding that the Attorney General prosecute Gabriel Rufyiri “for having, with a view to disturbing the public peace, contributed to the diffusion of false information and having deliberately spread false reports in order to alarm the people and incite them against the government” (Penal Code Article 602, alinea 2 and 3).

A few days after the lodgement of the complaint, on 8 April, the Council of Ministers published a press release describing OLUCOME's accusations as having “no other aim than to disturb public order” and declaring that the National Security Council, “concerned by the consequences of these allegations, will meet shortly to consider the issue”.

Because of his work denouncing embezzlement of public funds and campaigning against impunity in connection with the murder of Ernest Manirumva, Gabriel Rufyiri has also been the victim of threats and intimidation. On 1 April 2010, his residence was visited in his absence by a group of armed individuals who reportedly fled after the alarm was raised by his neighbours. Some time previously, his wife also received an anonymous threat.

Furthermore, on 26 March 2010, OLUCOME and l'Association pour la Protection des Droits Humains et des Personnes (APRODH – The Association for the protection of the Human Rights of Detained Persons) reported receiving information regarding the preparation of an assassination attempt, looking like an accident, against Gabriel Rufyiri and the President of APRODH, Mr Pierre Claver Mbonimpa.

Front line believes that the risk of arrest and charges against Gabriel Rufyiri, as well as the threats against him, are directly related to his legitimate work in defence of human rights. Front Line sees this as part of a wider campaign of harassment against Gabriel Rufyiri. Front Line is concerned for his physical and psychological integrity.