Human Rights in Burundi - National Response To The UPR

National Response To The UPR

Although the aforementioned amendments were introduced to the statute books in 2009, in the same revision the government officially criminalized same-sex relations. The Burundian gay rights group Humure has since reported cases of forced evictions of homosexuals. However, it is noted that homophobia in Burundi is not as extreme as cases in other African countries, where the penalty for homosexuality is death.

International Bridges to Justice report that prison conditions remain poor, and more than 60% of inmates are pre-trial detainees. Little progress has been made in the area of improving public defender and legal aid services.

In the wake of the 2010 elections, Human Rights Watch reported that the National Intelligence Service arbitrarily practiced physical and psychological torture on members of the opposition who had been arrested on a variety of dubious charges, including 'threatening state security' and 'participation in armed groups'.

A September 2010 report published by the Center for Global Development highlighted that Burundi had made progress in only one of its 15 Millennium Development Goals.