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Burundi's parliament rejects European parliament accusations on human rights violations

Xinhua, January 22, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Burundian parliament has rejected violations of human rights accusations by the European parliament, a statement from the Burundian parliament said Saturday evening.

"The Burundian parliament regrets that the European parliament does not have an updated situation on the security and political situation in Burundi," Spokesman of the Burundian National Assembly Alexis Badian Ndayihimbaze said in the statement.

He stressed that the situation of human rights "rather improved" countrywide.

Ndayihimbaze indicated that the European parliament should send a delegation to Burundi and go to the field to eyewitness the "real situation" on human rights.

"This would save the European parliament from reacting on lies propagated by enemies of peace in Burundi," Ndayihimbaze said.

With regards to worries by the European parliament on the adoption, in Dec. 2016, by the Burundian parliament of the bill on non-profit organizations and the bill on foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Ndayihimbaze indicated that the parliament is mandated to work on such bills because its assignments include controlling the government action and voting bills.

The new bill on foreign NGOs provides for instance that each foreign NGO will pay 500 U.S. dollars in order to be authorized to work on the Burundian territory.

The bill also provides that foreign NGOs will have to open a foreign currency account at the Burundi Central Bank, but will have to pay its staff in local currency in order to protect the Burundi franc (local currency).

The recruitment of the staff of the foreign NGOs will have to take into account ethnic backgrounds, gender and competences of candidates in accordance with the Burundian constitution. Endit