Amnesty International thanks the Commission of Inquiry for its oral update and continued monitoring of the situation in Burundi in challenging circumstances. As Burundi reviews its electoral code and prepares for elections in 2020, there are no indications that the rights to freedom of association, expression and peaceful assembly will be respected.
Having been suspended for six months in May 2018, VOA and the BBC broadcasts remain off-air. Many human rights defenders and journalists have fled the country since 2015, five HRDs remain in detention solely for their work, and most independent human rights organizations have been closed
