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Burundi's defense minister requests reintroduction of death penalty

Xinhua, February 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

Burundian Defense Minister Emmanuel Ntahomvukiye has requested the reintroduction of the death penalty to sanction authors of the May 13, 2015 failed coup plot, the government official said Thursday in a parliamentary session.

Defense and War Veterans Minister Emmanuel Ntahomvukiye was speaking in a session at the parliamentary house in Kigobe along with two of his colleagues - Security Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni and External Relations and International Cooperation Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe.

They had been summoned to answer MPs' questions and to debate on Burundi's political crisis that broke in April 2015 as well as possible solutions.

"The death penalty should be reintroduced especially to sanction people who attempted to overthrow institutions on May 13, 2015,"Ntahomvukiye told the Parliament.

Burundi abolished the death penalty in the penal code promulgated on April 29, 2009.

Ntahomvukiye acknowledged that there are three rebel groups that are propagating trouble in some areas of the east African nation including the Republican Forces of Burundi (FOREBU), the Restoration of a Rule of Law (Red-Tabara) and the National Liberation Forces (FNL) led by Nzabampema.

For his part, Bunyoni told MPs that with the beginning of the country's political crisis in April 2015, more than 90 percent of arms seized from troublemakers came from other countries, with the majority from Rwanda.

The Burundian government and the ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) have been accusing Rwanda of "destabilizing" Burundi.

Burundi's crisis broke out in April 2015 following the announcement by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza that he would be seeking a third term.

His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted into a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015.

Over 400 persons are reported to have been killed since then. Endit