A Burundian media outlet on Wednesday demanded the release of two of its journalists detained while covering the enforcement of a court ruling in Bujumbura.
In a statement, the privately owned outlet Jimbere said reporter Olivier Manirambona and videographer Aline Niyonizeye were arrested on February 18 after observing the execution of a property judgment by the Ntahangwa Commune Court in the Mutanga Nord area of the commercial capital Bujumbura.
According to the statement, the journalists had gone to cover the implementation of a ruling in a land dispute that had been in litigation for 21 years. The case involves a plot of land claimed by former lawmaker Simeon Ngenzebuhoro and Suzanne Manirakiza.
Jimbere said a police officer approached the journalists after noticing Niyonizeye’s camera. The two identified themselves as members of the press, and the officer reportedly found no images on the device. The outlet said additional police later detained the pair after Manirambona was seen taking notes during the proceedings.
The journalists were taken to the prosecutor’s office in Ntahangwa commune, questioned, and had their equipment confiscated before being transferred to a detention cell in Ngagara, according to the statement.
They appeared before a court on February 19, accompanied by a lawyer representing Jimbere, but the hearing was adjourned to February 20. The outlet said its journalists were not given the opportunity to present a defence and were returned to detention.
“Jimbere considers that its journalists have committed no offence and violated no professional rules,” the statement said, calling for their immediate release.
Burundi’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression and of the press. However, international watchdogs including Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders have previously raised concerns about arrests and legal pressure against journalists in the country.
Authorities had not immediately commented on the detentions.
