Round Table Human Rights and Elections: For free and peaceful electoral process and full participation of all

Excellencies, Colleagues, Friends,

Today I speak to you as a friend, a friend whose words will be as plain as they are respectful.   While achieving a great deal over the last ten years, Burundi is now penetrating the outer edges of a most acute crisis, and will enter the inner circles soon, unless there is a course correction, unless its overall destination is redefined.  That adjustment is of course possible and no momentum is irreversible, and there will always be exits for every path. 

Having listened very carefully to all senior colleagues in the United Nations, many friends in the international community and, over the last few days, a great number of informed distinguished people here in Burundi, I am both alarmed and also hopeful.  The key to unlocking the tensions apparent throughout much of the country is of course ending the fear generated by the increasing intimidation and threats practiced daily by the some of the political actors directly, or indirectly through the militia of the Imbonerakure.  This fear has already led to the movement of close to 5,000 people to neighbouring countries, in particular Rwanda.  They have reported to the UN, the chief reason for their departure was prolonged harassment by the militia. 

Excellencies, Colleagues and friends,

Elections, anywhere, can never be free nor fair, so long as a group like the militia of the Imbonerakure threaten and act violently with impunity.  Burundi’s troubles today are nothing compared to what they will be in the future if this continues.  The actions of the militia of the Imbonerakure must therefore end now. The international community is watching them and watching them carefully.  Intimidation must stop, and there is no reason for anyone, including the opposition, to threaten violence, which, in any case can never be justified.  Any threat or implied threat to resort to violence will only stoke tensions further. 

Like many observers, I have been deeply impressed by the resilience and determination of the women and men of Burundi. They certainly deserve to exercise their civic rights in accordance with the spirit of the Arusha accords – in security, with dignity, and with the active and meaningful participation of every eligible voter.

Elections are a decisive moment in the life of any State domestically. It is at such times that the eyes of the outside world turn to a country and scrutinise its performance across the entire range of human rights. This is because the integrity of any election does not only depend on an accurate vote count. To be genuine, an election must be grounded in an environment that is fully respectful of all human rights – and this includes the universal rights to freedom of expression and opinion; to be free from harassment or intimidation; and the right to peaceful assembly.

Having overcome so many difficulties in recent decades, Burundi can and should use this key turning-point to strongly reinforce its credibility, both regionally and on the world stage.

I urge all political actors to continue to respect the rights of all voters. All parties should act with a sense of responsibility and dignity befitting their status, and should conduct themselves in a manner that contributes to an atmosphere of peace and respect. In particular, political actors must avoid inflammatory or defamatory language, and avoid also inflating perceptions based on the narrowest evidence or even groundless rumour. Any violence – or speech that incites violence or hostility towards any individuals or communities – is a violation of the norms of international law. Security forces, must protect all political actors, journalists and human rights defenders, and their leaders must ensure that no members of security forces nor their allies or proxies, are responsible for acts of harassment or violence. The Government of Burundi, like all Governments, must take decisive action to ensure that any such cases are fully investigated, and that their perpetrators are held accountable before a court of law.

Democratic elections are vital to the process of building peace. But an election where women do not participate equally with men cannot be described as democratic. We call on all political actors to adopt a gender perspective, and to take measures that ensure respect for the human rights of women and girls in the electoral system.  Measures should be taken to empower women to become candidates, and to encourage more women to exercise their right to vote. Many practical aspects of administering elections have an impact on women’s participation, and I urge the electoral commission and political parties to take this important task to heart.

My Office is strongly committed to helping this country to become more prosperous, more inclusive and more stable, by protecting the human rights of all its people.  The office is proud of the fact that its relationship with Burundi is one of the oldest it enjoys and we are pleased with the excellent working interaction we are privileged to have with the government and other stakeholders.  We will be working to assist the National Electoral Commission and local authorities before, during and after the vote, to help monitor respect for human rights. We are also working with the Independent National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Public Security and others to bring increased emphasis to human rights principles in law-enforcement, and to end attacks against journalists, human rights defenders and political dissidents. The role of media is vital, and it is extremely important that all parties respect the right of journalists to do their work  in complete independence, without threats, harassment or attacks. It is also vital that the media itself scrupulously reports the facts and avoids reporting rumours that have not been verified and are potentially inflammatory.

In this regard, my Office has organized training for the media regarding principled conduct when reporting on the elections. And we have also organised training for political parties and actors – in order to help them realise the Charter of Non-Violence which they adopted on 9th March, and to assist them in upholding human rights throughout this crucial electoral period.

Excellencies, Colleagues and friends,

I am eager to see this country overcome setbacks and provide a positive example of democracy in action. As the United Nations Secretary-General has noted, "peaceful and credible elections are critical for the people of Burundi". They will bring immense dividends – not only in direct foreign investment but also in the deeper sense of constructing a strong and unified national community based on mutual respect, equality, and trust. None of this will happen however, if the militia of the Imbonerakure, or any other group like it, are allowed to act above the law. The exit from this path lying before us is therefore clear. I believe Burundi has little choice, and all the motivation required to make the right decisions in the interest of the entire population. Those decisions need to be made now.  If they are, we, your many friends will support you.

I thank you!