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Burundian gov't urged to dialogue with UN human rights agency

Xinhua, November 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Burundian National Human Rights Commission has urged the Burundian government and the UN Human Rights Agency to engage in a dialogue to solve their disagreements, the Commission chairman said Friday.

"We (the Commission) are concerned with deteriorating relations between the Burundian government and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Burundi. We therefore call on the Burundian government and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Burundi to engage in a dialogue and solve disagreements," said Burundian National Independent Human Rights Commission (CNIDH) Chairman Jean Baptiste Baribonekeza.

He also urged both the Burundian government and the (OHCHR) in Burundi to "review" the cooperation framework in order to resume cooperation as soon as possible.

On Oct. 11, the Burundian government decided to suspend cooperation and collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Burundi.

Burundian Government said that the decision was taken in the aftermath of the "role played" by the Office during the preparation of the "biased and controversial" report written by three UN experts on violations of human rights in Burundi.

As a result, Burundi declared the three UN independent experts -- who had written the report -- "undesirable" on the east African country's territory.

The CNIDH Chairman also indicated that he took note of the pullout, by Burundi, of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but urged the Burundian judiciary to prosecute human rights violations.

"The withdrawal from the ICC should not mean that human rights violations will be exempted from prosecution. On the contrary, we interpret this as a duty of national jurisdictions to continue and conclude investigations on human rights violations," said Baribonekeza.

On Oct. 18, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a decree on the east African country's pullout of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In addition, the CNIDH chairman called on the Burundian government to "review" the decision, taken last month, of cancelling five civil society organizations and the decision of suspending other five civil society organizations. Endit