NGOZI March 22nd (ABP) – The Minister of Justice, Domine Banyankimbona, granted on Monday March 20 food and non-food assistance to women and minors in the central prison for women in Ngozi. That assistance consisted mainly of cassava flour, palm oil, rice, laundry soap, loincloths and other clothing, basins, sanitary napkins, to name but a few. Breastfeeding women also received flour for porridge, sugar and biscuits.
In his speech for the occasion, Minister Domine Banyankimbona said that this assistance is a strong gesture, especially since the month of March is dedicated to women’s rights. It is therefore to sympathize with those women and minors in conflict with the law that this assistance was granted. She asked them to behave well so that one day she could benefit from judicial clemency and leave detention.
The prisoners’ representative thanked the Minister for having thought of those prisoners. She asked her to intercede for them with the Head of State so that he grants them a grace so that they go and take care of the children and their families. The central prison for women has a capacity of 250 people and currently houses 202 people, including 26 minors in conflict with the law. Among those women detainees, 25 are incarcerated with their children. And for the 202 tenants of the prison for women in Ngozi, 133 are convicted while 69 others are defendants. After that visit to imprisoned women, the Minister of Justice proceeded to the release of 148 detainees benefiting from the presidential pardon. Among those inmates, 92 are convicts who have already served a quarter of the sentence and who have behaved well and those who have committed misdemeanors (minor offences). 56 others are defendants who have benefited from the provisional release by the prosecution and who will have to continue to appear being free. Among these 148 released detainees are 8 women and minors from the central prison for women in Ngozi that also houses minor girls in conflict with the law.
Minister Banyankimbona said that those releases come after those of the central prison of Mpimba in Bujumbura. She gave advice to detainees returning to their homes to live well with those who are in the villages or in the neighborhoods. According to her, the provisional release can be lifted at any time that a beneficiary behaves badly, Minister Banyankimbona insisted. She also said that the wish of the Burundian government is to empty all the detention houses so that the Burundians can devote themselves to development activities.
However, she asked citizens to avoid any behavior that can them to jail. The 26 minor girls in conflict with the law at the Ngozi rehabilitation center insisted that the Head of State grant them a pardon, arguing that they had completely lost their minds. Minister Banyankimbona promised to forward the grievance and that the feedback will reach them.