The ICJ today joined other organisations in calling for a special session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Burundi.
The joint letter cited, among other concerns, continuing unlawful killings and other human rights violations and abuses, as well as the use of incendiary language by a number of high-level officials in the last two weeks. The organisations fear that Burundi may be on the verge of widespread violence. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed extreme concern about the situation.
On 6 November, the body of Welly Nzitonda, the son of prominent human rights defender Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, was found dead a few hours after he was arrested in the Mutakura neighborhood of Bujumbura where protests have taken place. On 3 August, Mr. Mbonimpa was himself shot in the face and neck. He was forced to seek medical treatment abroad. His son-in-law, Pascal Nshimirimana, was shot dead outside his home in Bujumbura on 9 October.
The open letter can be downloaded here (in english, PDF format): Burundi-UN-OpenLetter-2015
(en français): Burundi-UN-OpenLetter-2015-FR