Situation of Human Rights in Burundi

A/HRC/RES/33/24No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 4Human rights situations that require the Council's attention, published in 2016.

What other versions does this mandate have?

9 versions · 2016–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/HRC/RES/60/15

2025A/HRC/RES/60/15Situation of human rights in BurundiLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/HRC/RES/57/22Situation of human rights in BurundiCompare with previous version
2023A/HRC/RES/54/20Situation of human rights in BurundiCompare with previous version
2022A/HRC/RES/51/28Situation of human rights in BurundiCompare with previous version
2021A/HRC/RES/48/16Situation of human rights in BurundiCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

11 topics

Accountability Burundi Commissions of Inquiry Detention Human Rights Human Rights Monitoring Human Rights Violations Internal Security International Obligations International Police Regional Cooperation

What does this mandate say?

32 operative paragraphs

Expresses its deep concern about the continuous and accelerated deterioration of the human rights, economic and humanitarian situation in Burundi, in particular the situation of women and children;

Strongly condemns all violations and abuses of human rights in Burundi by all actors, particularly those involving mass arbitrary arrests and detentions, including cases involving children, cases of torture and other cruel, inhuman and/or degrading treatment, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual and gender-based violence, persecution of and threats against members of civil society, journalists, members of the opposition and demonstrators, including young demonstrators, and restrictions on the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, creating a climate of intimidation and fear that paralyses the whole of society;

Expresses grave concern that the independent experts cannot exclude that some of these serious human rights violations and abuses constitute crimes against humanity;

Alarmed by information about the existence of unacknowledged places of detention, which include secret cells within national intelligence service (SNR) compounds, and the private residences of high-level officials;

Expresses grave concern about the reports that most of the violations and abuses are being committed by the Burundian security forces and the Imbonerakure in a climate of impunity;

Deplores the fact that, although in certain cases investigations into serious human rights violations and abuses have been launched, they have not yielded credible results;

Denounces all parties whose actions contribute to the persistence of violence and hinder the promotion of a peaceful solution to the crisis, including armed groups, such as the Imbonerakure;

Expresses concern about the situation of Burundian human rights defenders, many of whom are forced into exile, and calls upon the Government of Burundi to allow human rights defenders to work in Burundi, and to protect their human rights;

Strongly condemns all public statements coming from inside or outside the country that incite violence or hatred towards different groups in Burundian society, and demands that the Government of Burundi and other parties refrain from any statements or actions that could exacerbate tensions and publicly condemn any such statements, so as to take into account the best interests of the country and to respect fully the letter and the spirit of the Arusha Agreement, a backbone for peace and democracy;

Calls upon the Government of Burundi to respect, protect and guarantee all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, in line with the State’s international obligations, to adhere to the rule of law and to undertake transparent accountability for acts of violence;

Also calls upon the Government of Burundi to comply fully with its responsibilities and to ensure the safety and the protection of its population in full respect of international law;

Reaffirms its call on the Burundian authorities to conduct thorough and independent investigations of crimes involving serious violations and abuses of human rights so that all perpetrators, regardless of their affiliation, are held to account before a court;

Notes the opening by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in April 2016 of a preliminary examination into the situation in Burundi since April 2015, and recalls the obligations of Burundi as a State party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, including its obligation to fight impunity for crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the Court;

Also notes the reports of a decrease in the number of extrajudicial killings, and the steps taken by the Government of Burundi to withdraw some bans on media and civil society organizations, to cancel some arrest warrants and to release a number of detainees, calls for the immediate end to all extrajudicial killings and all other human rights violations and abuses, and urges the Government to authorize all media outlets to resume freely their activities, and to release all political prisoners;

Deplores the unprecedented non-cooperation of the Government of Burundi with the Committee against Torture during the review of the State on 29 July 2016, and the retaliatory threat to disbar Burundian lawyers participating in the review;

Recalls that all States Members of the Human Rights Council should uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights, reiterates its urgent call to the Government of Burundi to be mindful of these standards, and notes the importance of cooperation with international human rights mechanisms as part of those efforts;

Encourages the Government of Burundi to cooperate with the regionally led mediation to enable it to immediately convene an inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue involving all concerned and peaceful stakeholders, both those who are in Burundi and those outside the country, including the meaningful participation of women, in order to reach a consensual and nationally owned solution that would aim to preserve peace, strengthen democracy and ensure the enjoyment of human rights for all in Burundi;

Invites the Government of Burundi to respect its commitment, expressed in its letter to the President of the Security Council on 15 July 2016, to facilitate without delay the deployment of a United Nations police component, including 228 United Nations police officers, as foreseen by the Council in its resolution 2303 (2016), and urges the Government to guarantee unhindered access by United Nations staff to detention centres and detainees;

Calls upon the Burundian authorities to ensure equitable political processes and to enable the holding of free, fair and transparent democratic elections;

Welcomes and supports the ongoing efforts made at the regional and subregional levels, including by the East African Community and the Peace and Security Commission of the African Union, to monitor the situation of human rights in Burundi and to contribute to its improvement;

Welcomes the work of the African Union human rights observers deployed in Burundi, and encourages the full deployment of all observers as soon as possible;

Expresses its deep concern about the difficult situation of the more than 295,000 Burundians who have fled to neighbouring countries and of some 100,000 internally displaced persons, and welcomes the efforts of host countries;

Decides to create for a period of one year a commission of inquiry:

To conduct a thorough investigation into human rights violations and abuses in Burundi since April 2015, including on their extent and whether they may constitute international crimes, with a view to contributing to the fight against impunity;

To identify alleged perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses in Burundi with a view to ensuring full accountability;

To formulate recommendations on steps to be taken with a view to guaranteeing that the authors of these violations and abuses, regardless of their affiliation, are held accountable for their acts;

To engage with the Burundian authorities and all other stakeholders, in particular United Nations agencies, civil society, refugees, the field presence of the Office of the High Commissioner in Burundi, authorities of the African Union, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, in order to provide the support and expertise for the immediate improvement of the situation of human rights and the fight against impunity;

To present an oral briefing to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth sessions, and a final report during an interactive dialogue at its thirty-sixth session;

To present its report to the General Assembly and other relevant international bodies;

Urges the Government of Burundi to cooperate fully with the commission of inquiry, to authorize it to conduct visits to the country and to provide it with all the information necessary to fulfil its mandate;

Requests the immediate operationalization of the commission of inquiry, and also requests that the Office of the High Commissioner be provided with all the resources necessary, including in specialized ballistic and forensic expertise, and expertise in sexual and gender-based violence, to fulfil the mandate;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

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