The public prosecutor in Burundi has requested a 12-year prison sentence and a fine of one million Burundian Francs (FBU) for journalist Sandra Muhoza, accusing her of racial aversion and attacking the integrity of the nation’s territory. The demand was made during a public hearing at the Mukaza High Court (Bujumbura) on Tuesday.
Muhoza, a Burundian journalist journalist has been at the center of a highly publicized legal case in Burundi. The charges stem from statements she allegedly made that were deemed to incite racial division and undermine national unity. The prosecutor argued that Muhoza’s actions constituted a serious violation of the country’s laws on national integrity and social cohesion.
Sandra Muhoza is accused of having made comments in a WhatsApp group on an alleged distribution of machetes
During the hearing, the prosecutor emphasized the severity of the offense, arguing that such statements could jeopardize the peaceful coexistence of Burundian society. The proposed sentence of 12 years in prison, coupled with the substantial fine, is seen as a reflection of the gravity of the charges.
The trial has sparked widespread concern among local and international human rights organizations, who have expressed alarm over the shrinking space for free expression in Burundi.
Critics argue that the case is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom and political dissent in the country, particularly in the wake of a 2015 political crisis that led to a tightening of government control over media outlets.
