BUJUMBURA March 20th (ABP) – The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) held on Friday March 17, 2023 in Bujumbura, a meeting with the body of the judiciary to present to it the missions and the results already achieved by the TRC during the 4 years of its existence and the prospects for the future.
The Chair of the TRC, Ambassador Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, first recalled that justice is a very important institution in the life of a Nation. He specified that the main mission of justice is to contribute to the emergence of a healthy, impartial and effective justice aimed at the consolidation of social peace, civic protection, security and public order. He did not fail to point out that good justice is a pillar of the socio-economic development of the country and that the latter constitutes an attraction for foreign investors, hence the increase in jobs.
According to Ndayicariye, if justice presents a failure at the level of the accomplishment of its mission, many consequences are manifested. He cited impunity, violation of human rights, and others. He showed a documentary illustrating the various violations that were committed in 1972 by the power of Michel Micombero who, according to Ndayicariye, failed in his primary mission to protect all Burundian citizens.
On the same occasion, he indicated that through the investigations carried out by the TRC, it was found out that especially for the years 1972 and 1973, the judiciary ceased to function normally. Ambasaaador Ndayicariye said that the TRC has written evidence showing that the justice sector has not behaved well in the past, which has resulted in the death of innocent people in Burundi.
Victims including widows of the 1972 events saw their property looted by the army, justice and other corps. These assets are houses, vehicles, plots, seizure of bank accounts, household equipment and others. There were many responsibilities of the judiciary in the violations committed in 1972-1973, ambassador Ndayicariye explained. From the investigations carried out by the TRC “There were no trials for the victims of the 1972 crisis in the ordinary courts. Everything happened at the level of the court martial, the administration and the prosecution”.
The Chair of the TRC asked anyone working in the field of Burundian justice to face the challenges that have arisen in the past in that sector and above all to “not be afraid of the truth,” explaining that the truth will make Burundians free.
The body of the judiciary was also asked “to be afraid of lies and hypocrisy” which were sources of all evils during the events of 1972 which plunged Burundi into mourning. The body of justice must draw up the mechanisms of transitional justice to reassure the victims of those tragic events. According to ambassador Ndayicariye, transitional justice is characterized by truth, guarantees (if possible) and non-repetition for the stability of the country.
The Minister of Justice, Mrs. Domine Banyankimbona, thanked the TRC for all that information. She deplores the fact that justice has not played its role in the violations committed in the past. It is in that context that she asked the magistrates to promote justice for all to meet the challenges that have arisen in the past. She also insisted on the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms to provide justice or reassure the victims of tragic events that took place in the past.