Jean-Claude Kavumbagu

Last updated
Jean-Claude Kavumbagu
Nationality Burundian
Occupationjournalist
Known fordissident reporting

Jean-Claude Kavumbagu is a Burundian Internet journalist who has been arrested on multiple occasions for issues related to his reporting. In 2011, he was charged with treason in a high-profile trial and named a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. [1]

Contents

Olympics scandal and arrest

Kavumbagu is director of the Burundian Internet news agency Net Press. [2] On 11 September 2008, he was arrested following the publication of an article in which he alleged that the cost of President Pierre Nkurunziza's trip to see the Beijing Olympics (an estimated 100 million Burundian francs) caused some civil servants’ salaries to be paid late. [3] Following a government statement that the trip had only cost half of the alleged amount, Kavumbagu was charged with "libelous writing and insulting remarks." [3] Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and International PEN protested his arrest and called for his immediate release. [3] [4] [5] Kavumbagu was cleared by a court in March 2009 and released from prison. [6] However, the prosecutor appealed the case, and as of July 2010, it remains open. [7]

Bombing response and second trial

On 11 July 2010, Kampala, Uganda was attacked by suicide bombers from Al-Shabaab, a Somali Islamist militia, killing 74 and injuring 70. The following day, Kavumbagu published a blog post on his site which criticized the ability of Burundian forces to defend the country in the face of a similar attack: “The anxiety has been palpable in Bujumbura and all those who have heard about [the bombings] yesterday in Kampala were convinced that if the al-Shabaab militants wanted to try ‘something' in our country, they would succeed with disconcerting ease, [as] our defense and security forces shine in their capacity to pillage and kill their compatriots rather than defend our country." [1] On 17 July, he was arrested, charged with treason, questioned without the presence of a lawyer, and imprisoned in Mpimba Central Prison, Bujumbura. [1] In Burundi, treason carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. [1] His arrest was again denounced by a number of international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, [1] Human Rights Watch, [7] and Front Line. [8] A number of journalism and press freedom organizations have called for the charges against Kavumbagu to be dropped, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, [9] the International Federation of Journalists, [10] International PEN, [11] the Federation of African Journalists, [10] the Eastern Africa Journalists Association, [10] and Reporters Without Borders. [12]

In November 2010, Kavumbagu was denied a request for bail, and was housed with violent offenders. [13] On 13 April 2011, the trial's prosecutor announced his intention to seek a life sentence. [14] On 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, around 100 Burundian journalists marched into Bujumbura to demonstrate support for Kavumbagu. [15]

On 13 May, Kavumbagu was acquitted of treason, but found guilty on the charge of publishing an article "likely to discredit the state or economy". [16] He was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment and released for time served. [16] Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists protested the verdict, the latter reiterating its belief that "Burundi should decriminalize press offenses and allow journalists to speak and write freely without fear of harassment or arrest". [16]

Related Research Articles

Valentin Danilov is a Russian physicist, whose research deals with the effect of solar activity on space satellites. In November 2004, he was found guilty and sentenced to 14 years for treason. Many scientists and human rights organizations, both in Russia and worldwide protested the sentence because the information he passed to China was, in fact, declassified in 1992.

François Ngeze is a Burundian retired politician. He served as the acting head of state of Burundi from 21 October 1993 to 27 October 1993. He was chosen by the military Committee of Public Salvation, a group of army officers that staged the 1993 Burundian coup d'état attempt overthrew the democratically elected government of president Melchior Ndadaye.

Shi Tao is a Chinese journalist, writer and poet, who in 2005 was sentenced to 10 years in prison for releasing a document of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to an overseas Chinese democracy site. Yahoo! China was later discovered to have facilitated his arrest by providing his personal details to the Chinese government. Yahoo! was subsequently rebuked by a panel of the U.S. Congress, settled a lawsuit by Shi's family out of court, and pledged to reform its practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Burundi</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Burundi face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT citizens. While never criminalized before 2009, Burundi has since criminalized same-sex sexual activity by both men and women with a penalty up to two years in prison and a fine. LGBT persons are regularly prosecuted and persecuted by the government and additionally face stigmatisation among the broader population.

Alexis Sinduhije is a Burundian journalist and politician. After founding Radio Publique Africaine during the Burundi Civil War, Sinduhije received a CPJ International Press Freedom Award and was named to the Time 100 list of most influential people. In 2007, he left journalism to run for president, but was arrested in 2008 on a charge of "insulting the president," Pierre Nkurunziza, drawing protests on his behalf from the U.S., U.K., and Amnesty International. He was found not guilty and released in 2009. The film "Kamenge, Northern Quarters" follows Sinduhije before, during, and after his incarceration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burundi</span> Country in Central Africa

Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and East Africa. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The capital cities are Gitega and Bujumbura, the latter being the country's largest city.

Media Defence is a non-governmental organization established in 2008 to provide legal assistance to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media institutions. It also supports training in media law and promotes the exchange of information, litigation tools and strategies for lawyers working on media freedom cases. It is based in London, England and has a global network of media lawyers and media freedom activists with whom it works on cases and projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Burundi</span>

In 2022, Freedom House rated Burundi's human rights at 14 out 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrzej Poczobut</span> Belarusian-Polish journalist and rights activist (born 1973)

Andrzej Poczobut is a Belarusian and Polish journalist and activist of the Polish minority in Belarus. He lives in Hrodna, Belarus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azimzhan Askarov</span> Kyrgyz activist and journalist (1951–2020)

Azimzhan Askarov was a Kyrgyzstani political activist who founded the group Vozduh in 2002 to investigate police brutality. Of ethnic Uzbek descent, during the 2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes, which primarily targeted people of the Uzbek nationality, Askarov worked to document the violence.

Aung Pwint is a Burmese journalist and documentary maker notable for his 1999 imprisonment by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Burma's military government, on charges of fax-machine ownership and "sending news".

Đoàn Viết Hoạt is a Viếtnamese journalist, educator, and democratic activist who was repeatedly imprisoned for his criticisms of Viếtnam's Communist leadership. He has received numerous international awards in recognition of his work, including the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, and is often referred to as the "Sakharov of Viếtnam".

Jesús Joel Díaz Hernández is a Cuban journalist who was imprisoned by the Cuban government from 1999–2001. His imprisonment attracted protest from several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, which named him a prisoner of conscience.

Nguyễn Văn Hải, better known by his pen name Điếu Cày, is a Vietnamese blogger who has been prosecuted by the government of Vietnam for tax evasion and "disseminating anti-state information and materials". His imprisonment was protested by several international human rights organizations, and Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience. On 21 October 2014, he was released and deported to the United States.

Faustin Ndikumana is a Burundian economist and anti-corruption activist. In February 2012, he was detained for two weeks on charges of making "false declarations", leading Amnesty International to designate him a prisoner of conscience.

Most Azerbaijanis receive their information from mainstream television, which is unswervingly pro-government and under strict government control. According to a 2012 report of the NGO "Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS)" Azerbaijani citizens are unable to access objective and reliable news on human rights issues relevant to Azerbaijan and the population is under-informed about matters of public interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Burundian coup attempt</span> Coup détat attempt

On 13 May 2015, army general Godefroid Niyombare said that he was "dismissing President Pierre Nkurunziza" following the 2015 Burundian unrest. However, the presidency tweeted that the "situation is under control" and there is "no coup".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni</span> Burundian politician

Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni is a Burundian politician who was Prime Minister of Burundi from 23 June 2020 to 7 September 2022. Before that, from 2015 until 2020, he served as Minister of Internal Security in the Cabinet of Burundi.

Floriane Irangabiye is a Burundian journalist who co-founded Radio Igicaniro, a Rwanda-based online outlet platforming exiles and expatriates from Burundi. In January 2023, she was convicted of "undermining the integrity" of Burundi, and was sentenced to ten years in prison after broadcasting comments critical of the Burundian government.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Burundi: Demand release of online editor: Jean-Claude Kavumbagu". Amnesty International. 6 December 2010. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  2. ↑ Net Press website
  3. 1 2 3 "Burundi: Arbitrary arrest: Jean-Claude Kavumbagu". Amnesty International. 12 September 2008. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  4. ↑ "Jailed Burundian journalist acquitted; two others arrested". Committee to Protect Journalists. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  5. ↑ Hannah Pakula and Larry Siems (6 October 2008). "PEN Appeal: Jean-Claude Kavumbagu". International PEN. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  6. ↑ "Burundi frees editor held for defaming president". Reuters . 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2011..
  7. 1 2 "Burundi: Free Journalist Detained on Treason Charges". Human Rights Watch. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  8. ↑ "Burundi: Arrest of journalist and human rights defender Mr Jean-Claude Kavumbagu". Front Line. 20 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  9. ↑ Joel Simon (11 April 2011). "Burundi must free Kavumbagu, halt flawed prosecution". Committee to Protect Journalists . Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 "IFJ Joins Call for Release of Journalist On Treason Charges". International Federation of Journalists. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  11. ↑ Hannah Pakula and Larry Siems (25 January 2011). "PEN Appeal: Jean-Claude Kavumbagu". International PEN. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  12. ↑ "Prosecutor requests life imprisonment for online newspaper editor". Reporters Without Borders. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  13. ↑ "Burundi seeks life sentence for Kavumbagu". Committee to Protect Journalists. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  14. ↑ "Burundi demands life sentence against journalist". Reuters . 13 April 2011. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  15. ↑ "Burundi journalists demonstrate for freedom". Agence France-Presse. 3 May 2011. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 "Burundi: Journalist Acquitted of Treason Charges". Human Rights Watch. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.