• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: Missing Human Rights Defender Believed Killed (Burundi: UA 136.19)

October 17, 2019

In a report published on 13 September 2019, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi indicated that Marie-Claudette Kwizera, a human rights defender and treasurer of Ligue Iteka, a leading human rights organization in Burundi, was killed a few days after she was abducted on 10 December 2015 by members of the National Intelligence Service. The Minister of Justice must instruct the Prosecutor General to open a prompt, thorough, impartial and effective investigation into her abduction and killing.

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Aimee-Laurentine Kanyana Minister of Justice BP 1305 Bujumbura, Burundi Email: [email protected]
Ambassador Gaudence Sindayigaya Embassy of the Republic of Burundi 2233 Wisconsin Ave. NW Suite 408, Washington DC 20007 Phone: 202 342 2574 I Fax: 202 342 2578 Email: [email protected] Salutation: Dear Ambassador

Dear Minister, I am writing to bring to your attention the latest development in the enforced disappearance and killing of Marie-Claudette Kwizera, a human rights defender who served as treasurer for Ligue Iteka, a leading human rights organization in Burundi. Marie-Claudette was abducted by individuals believed to be members of the National Intelligence Service (SNR) on 10 December 2015 in Bujumbura. She was taken by force and bundled into a vehicle with tinted windows. According to new information obtained by the United Nations’ Commission of Inquiry on Burundi and published on 13 September 2019, Marie-Claudette was taken to the offices of the SNR but was not duly registered there. And after a few days, she was moved to another location and extrajudicially executed. I have reason to believe that Marie-Claudette was targeted because of her human rights work. I would like to call on you to instruct the Prosecutor General to launch an investigation into the abduction and apparent killing of Marie-Claudette Kwizera and ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice in fair trials. Yours sincerely, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES