Preventing the Deterioration of the Human Rights Situation in Burundi

A/HRC/RES/S-24/1View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, published in 2015.

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 subjects

Accountability Burundi Experts Fact-Finding Missions Human Rights Human Rights Violations Internal Security

What’s in this document?

24 operative paragraphs

Expresses its deep concern about the deterioration of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Burundi, and underscores that the promotion and protection of human rights should remain central to any solution to the crisis in Burundi;

Calls upon the Government of Burundi to respect, protect and guarantee all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, in line with the country’s international obligations, to adhere to the rule of law and undertake transparent accountability for acts of violence, and to cooperate fully with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the fulfilment of its mandate;

Strongly urges all actors to create a climate conducive to the promotion of a genuine and inclusive dialogue, including the meaningful participation of women, based on respect of the Arusha Agreement in order to reach a consensual political solution which would aim to preserve peace, strengthen democracy and ensure the enjoyment of human rights for all in Burundi;

Strongly condemns the ongoing serious violations and abuses of human rights in Burundi by all actors, particularly the restrictions on freedom of expression, including of the media, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and those involving excessive use of force by the security forces against demonstrators and other civilians, including the use of live ammunition against protesters, resulting in deaths, extrajudicial killings, the arbitrary detention of protesters, acts of torture and ill-treatment against detainees, the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders, members of the opposition and journalists, including by armed youth groups affiliated with political parties, including the majority party, and retributive acts of violence, including targeted assassinations, and the climate of impunity in which these acts are committed;

Reiterates its firm condemnation of all violations and abuses of human rights by all parties, and of the incendiary statements of some actors in the country;

Deplores that recent weeks have witnessed a worrying resurgence in and escalation of violence and a drastic increase in human rights violations and abuses;

Strongly denounces all parties whose actions contribute to the persistence of violence and hinder the promotion of a peaceful solution to the crisis, including armed groups, such as the Imbonerakure;

Calls upon the Government of Burundi and other parties to refrain from any statements or actions that could exacerbate tensions and to publicly condemn any such statements so as to take into account the best interests of the country and to respect fully the letter and spirit of the Arusha Agreement, a backbone for peace and democracy;

Calls upon the Burundian authorities to undertake to protect the people of Burundi against unlawful acts of intimidation and violence, and to respect, protect and promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, in line with the country’s international obligations, and to adhere to the rule of law and promote transparent accountability for all human rights violations and abuses;

Also calls upon the Burundian authorities to conduct thorough and independent investigations of serious violations and abuses of human rights so that all perpetrators, regardless of their affiliation, are held to account;

Further calls upon the Burundian authorities to ensure equitable political processes and to enable the holding of free, fair and transparent democratic elections;

Welcomes the efforts made at the regional and subregional levels, including by the East African Community and the Peace and Security Commission of the African Union, to monitor the situation of human rights in Burundi and to contribute to its improvement;

Expresses its deep concern about the difficult situation of the more than 220,000 Burundian refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries and the countless internally displaced persons, and calls upon receiving countries and the international community to continue to provide protection and assistance, while noting with satisfaction the progress regarding the voluntary return of refugees;

Welcomes in particular the urgent deployment and work of the African Union human rights observers to Burundi, the deployment by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights of a fact-finding mission to Burundi, and the final communiqué of 13 December 2015 of the fact-finding mission of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and calls upon the Burundian authorities to cooperate fully with these officials and to grant them access necessary to the discharging of their mandate;

Encourages the Government of Burundi to cooperate with the regionally led mediation to enable it to immediately convene an inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue involving all concerned and peaceful stakeholders, both those who are in Burundi and those outside the country, in order to find a consensual and nationally owned solution to the current crisis;

Decides to enhance the interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Burundi, called for by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 30/27, at its thirty-first and thirty-third sessions so as to include the participation of other stakeholders, in particular representatives of the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, civil society and relevant special procedures addressing human rights in Burundi;

Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to urgently organize and dispatch on the most expeditious basis possible a mission by independent existing experts:

To undertake swiftly an investigation into violations and abuses of human rights with a view to preventing further deterioration of the human rights situation;

To make recommendations on the improvement of the human rights situation and on technical assistance to support reconciliation and the implementation of the Arusha Agreement;

To engage with the Burundian authorities and all other relevant stakeholders, including United Nations agencies, civil society, refugees, the field presence of the Office of the High Commissioner in Burundi, authorities of the African Union, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, in particular with a view to help the State to fulfil its human rights obligations, to ensure accountability for human rights violations and abuses, including by identifying alleged perpetrators, to adopt appropriate transitional justice measures and to maintain the spirit of the Arusha Agreement;

To ensure the complementarity and coordination of this effort with other efforts of the United Nations, the African Union and other appropriate regional and international entities, drawing on the expertise of the African Union and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to the extent practicable;

To have a representative of the experts issue an oral update and participate in an enhanced interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Burundi at the thirty-first session of the Human Rights Council, and to issue a final report and participate in an enhanced interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Burundi at the thirty-third session;

Requests that the Office of the High Commissioner be provided with all necessary resources to fulfil this mandate;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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