A court in southern Burundi on Friday sentenced 13 men, including three police officers and members of the ruling party to prison terms for extortion, a judicial source learned on Saturday.
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This extremely rare decision in a country where human rights organizations regularly denounce the impunity enjoyed by supporters of the regime, was rendered by the Makamaba court for extortion with aggravating circumstances against farm workers returning from Tanzania, a judicial source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The sentences - 10 years imprisonment for seven accused and 5 years for the other six - concern, in addition to the three police officers, two local officials, an official of the ruling party, the CNDD-FDD, and seven members of the youth movement of the party, Imbonerakure, known for his violence, said this source. Three defendants, including a police officer, were acquitted. The convictions were confirmed by one of the defense lawyers. The defendants were arrested in mid-July.
Several human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, accused the Imbonerakure, assimilated to a militia, of having killed and tortured dozens of people under the regime of President Pierre Nkurunziza, who died suddenly in June after 15 years of power when he was about to leave his post.