Burundi: Human Rights

(asked on 15th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2022 to Question 51559, following the UK Government’s monitoring of reports of human rights violations and abuses against political opposition and critical voices in Burundi, what assessment his Department has made of progress to (a) end (i) unlawful killings, (ii) enforced disappearances, (iii) torture, and (iv) other alleged human rights violations and abuses by state security forces in Burundi since 2015 and (b) progress to deliver accountability for these violations since 2015.


Answered by
Andrew Mitchell Portrait
Andrew Mitchell
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
This question was answered on 4th January 2023

The UK Government welcomes the Government of Burundi's stated commitment to improving the human rights situation and the recent steps taken which demonstrate progress in this regard. We note reports of human rights violations and abuses being committed against the political opposition and critical voices, which we regularly discuss at a senior level with the Government of Burundi, most recently in September 2022 when our non-resident Ambassador to Burundi visited the country. We continue to call on the Government of Burundi to ensure that Burundi develops along a positive trajectory and look forward to Burundi's Universal Periodic Review in 2023. We urge the Government of Burundi to fully implement the recommendations made in the last review. Allowing the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to operate in Burundi would provide welcome scrutiny and help Burundi deliver on its commitment to ensure its people benefit from the full enjoyment of all human rights.

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