"The Burundi crisis has been forgotten"; interview with a Burundian lawyer in exile

When you went into exile, what were the tangible risks to your life and safety? 

When the government sent out a list of people to be put under arrest, it contained defenders and journalists who were put on the same list as the military who organized the failed coup of May 2015. We risked arrest and even death. All this to prevent us from continuing to do our advocacy work, and promoting and protecting human rights. Whilst in exile, we took our case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and submitted over 2,000 statements on the crimes committed. We work with partners such as the OMCT to document human rights violations and demand justice.

Today, how many defenders are still in exile?

Since 2015, over a hundred journalists and human rights defenders have fled to neighboring countries, Europe, or America.

So they're scattered all over the place, but despite this context of exile, we continue to do our work. We've set up strategies to continue documenting human rights violations thanks to a confidential trusted network that we still have in Burundi. They don't know each other, which protects the network in the case of arrest. Gathering information remains difficult, but we work with reliable local sources and organizations, who also work with us in complete confidentiality, for fear of reprisals.

What are the main threats facing Burundian human rights defenders in exile?

We're always under threat. I was almost arrested in Belgium because of a flag on my passport. In Geneva, the Burundian government tried to prevent me from entering a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. We are also victims of attacks on social networks.

So these are ongoing threats, but we're not giving in to fear because we know they're trying to protect themselves, they're showing that we're exposing all the information linked to their human rights violations. Our struggle continues, and we hope that one day there will be positive developments in Burundi, so that we can return and continue our fight from within the country.

What role should the international community play to better protect defenders in exile? 

We've been abroad for 10 years. The crisis in Burundi has been forgotten by the international community. Human rights defenders and journalists continue to face arrest, threats, and intimidation. The European Union has set up mechanisms for the protection of defenders, but these mechanisms need to be involved in bilateral discussions between Burundi and its partners. Defenders are not bargaining chips, or tools for making claims. This has to stop, and they have to be able to continue to do their job while completely protected, and independently. 

After 10 years in exile, what are the consequences for you?

Some families can't talk to us, for fear that the authorities will take their phones away, or for fear of threats or reprisals. My family is also persecuted. I can't go home, but it's not just me. There's also my wife, there are other members of my family who fear persecution because of my activism, because of my fight. Yet to abandon the fight would be to abandon the victims of this crisis. We were hoping for change with the 2020 president, but nothing has changed. The government refuses dialogue with the opposition and cooperation with the United Nations, preventing any lasting solution.

Would you be able to work from Burundi?

While in exile, we have continued to produce alternative reports to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, the treaty bodies, to continue showing the situation in Burundi, which our colleagues in the country can no longer do for fear of reprisals. That's why the actions of defenders in exile complement those of in-country defenders. We pass on information to the international community that those in-country cannot reveal. We carefully check every piece of data before publication, and even the Burundian authorities can't deny it.

Should there be a special status for exiled defenders?

Being a defender in danger and living in exile has many restrictions, not least due to this category of defenders. Many struggle to obtain visas or refugee status, which limits their ability to participate in international forums. In the future, many of the younger generation will refuse to be defenders for fear of being arrested. The international community needs to grant them special status to facilitate their protection and mobility, so that they can continue their work to promote and protect human rights despite the context in their own countries.