Burundi: journalist Sandra Muhoza could face 12 years in prison for sharing news with other media professionals
A high court has requested a 12-year prison sentence for journalist Sandra Muhoza, who has been detained for over seven months for posting information in a private WhatsApp group. She is accused of “undermining the integrity of the national territory” and “ethnic aversion”, unfair charges that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns. Sandra Muhoza must be acquitted and released immediately.
Sandra Muhoza, a journalist for the online media La Nova Burundi, relayed information about the government’s distribution of weapons in a private WhatsApp group of media professionals — and now faces twelve years of imprisonment for doing so. The prosecution's demands — ten years of imprisonment for “undermining the integrity of national territory” and 2 years for “ethnic aversion” — are beyond comprehension. The sentence — requested by the Mukaza high court in Bujumbura, the country's capital, on 12 November — also includes a fine of one million Burundi francs (around 320 euros).
The public prosecutor's demands against Sandra Muhoza are unspeakably harsh and unfair. As a reminder, the journalist was not even investigating the case that led to the charges against her; she simply reported on it to a private group of media professionals. The heavy prison sentence that has been requested is absurd, and RSF is concerned that the case may be politicised. Sandra Muhoza must be acquitted and released immediately.
Sandra Muhoza has been detained on these charges since last April. Her trial, initially scheduled for early September, was postponed the day it was set to take place due to a lack of fuel to transport detainees from Mpimba Central Prison to court. The judges are currently deliberating and a decision is scheduled to be handed down in December.
A few months ago, the host of the online radio station Igicaniro, Floriane Irangabiye, was also charged with “undermining national internal security”. She was sentenced to ten years in prison and spent 700 days behind bars before receiving a presidential pardon in August 2024.
