Thursday, August 12, 2010
Thierry Ndayishimiye, director of the private Arc-en-ciel weekly was detained on Tuesday after the July 17 arrest of Jean Claude Kavumbagu, director of the Net Press online newspaper.
At a press briefing held on Wednesday in the Burundian capital Bujumbura, BJU Chairman Alexandre Niyungeko said, "The procedures to arrest the two journalists were unlawful."
"The imprisonment of the two journalists was characterized by a lot of abuses and the attitude of the magistrates who instructed their cases is taking backwards press freedom in Burundi," said Niyungeko.
The BJU chief appealed to the Burundian government to do its best in a bid to release the two journalists.
Ndayishimiye is accused to have defamed Celestin Nduwamungu, general manager of the Water and Electricity Company (REGIDESO), in an article published on July 30, alleging Nduwamungu "had embezzled 280 million Burundi francs."
Nduwamungu reportedly took the money expected to be used in the activities by the REGIDESO Company in water adductions and construction of hydroelectricity power dams by French Company SOGEA SATOM.
Nduwamungu denied the allegation at a second hearing held on Friday, saying it was impossible to embezzle money not yet engaged. Ndayishimiye on his part said he had evidence that the tender procedures were being carried out illicitly.
In another case, Kavumbagu, who has been in prison since July 17, is accused of treason. He was arrested for an article he published on July 12. It said, "The Burundian army will not be able to counter-attack Somalia's Al Shabaab insurgents since the army is famous for committing a lot of errors and for killing Burundian nationals for no reason."
Source: Xinhua