MONITORING REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION DURING THE ELECTORAL PERIOD
For the period from May to July 2025
Yesterday, the United Nations Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi. Through this decision, the Human Rights Council acknowledges that the human rights situation in Burundi remains deeply concerning and continues to deteriorate, particularly in the current electoral context.
This renewal echoes the call of civil society to maintain international attention on Burundi.
On this occasion, ACAT Burundi and FIACAT are publishing a report on the violations surrounding the 5 June 2025 elections. Ten years after the warnings issued by the experts of the United Nations Independent Investigation on Burundi in 2016, the findings remain alarming: hate speech, arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, threats, and intimidation marked the 5 June vote.
The judiciary, under the control of the executive, fosters a climate of impunity. In this context, the Special Rapporteur remains the only independent mechanism monitoring the human rights situation, despite the lack of cooperation from the authorities. The Rapporteur relies in particular on the documentation work carried out by civil society, which, despite being in exile, continues to document violations to alert the international community, pave the way for future accountability, and give voice to the victims.
With less than two years to go before the 2027 presidential election, renewed engagement from the international community is more essential than ever.
