Media leaders in Burundi have broken years of silence to condemn what they describe as the “torture” of a journalist, denouncing a climate of growing intimidation against the press in the country.
In a joint statement released on Saturday to mark World Press Freedom Day, the heads of eight private media organisations expressed “deep concern” over increasing threats to journalists, citing the brutal assault of Willy Kwizera, a reporter for Radio Bonesha FM.
Kwizera was attacked last Monday at the University of Burundi in Bujumbura, reportedly by members of the ruling party’s youth wing, the Imbonerakure. According to the statement, the journalist was “beaten with a baton, threatened with death, and forced to sign several documents compelling his silence.”
The media chiefs claimed the perpetrators were student representatives affiliated with the Imbonerakure, who they accused of “spreading terror” across the university campus.
The statement was signed by directors of prominent outlets including Radio Bonesha FM, Journal Iwacu, Radiotelevision Isanganiro, Akeza.net, and Iris News. It marks the first united outcry from senior Burundian journalists since the 2015 political crisis, during which several media outlets were closed and approximately 150 journalists fled into exile.
Kwizera remains hospitalised and continues to receive threats, according to a colleague who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity. “There is an increasingly unbearable atmosphere for journalists,” said one of the signatories.
Burundi ranks 125th out of 180 countries in the global press freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which has labelled the nation a “very hostile environment for journalists”.
The crackdown has intensified in recent years. In December, journalist Sandra Muhoza was sentenced to nearly two years in prison after allegedly sharing information about weapons distribution in a private WhatsApp group — a case also highlighted by RSF.
“We are at the mercy of everyone — whether it’s a neighbourhood chief, the Imbonerakure, or the police — who can arrest us at any moment and accuse us of defaming the state or working with exiled civil society,” a journalist explained.
With legislative elections scheduled for 5 June, the media leaders warned of rising tension and urged the government to launch an independent investigation into the assault on Kwizera. “This is why we have sounded the alarm after years of silence,” the statement concluded.
