KAYANZA March 23rd (ABP) – The Independent National Commission for Human Rights (CNIDH), organized on Wednesday March 22, 2023, at the headquarters of Kayanza province (north), a capacity building workshop for heads of residence courts in the northern region on taking into account the “Human Rights” dimension in their respective services”, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
According to the Chairman of the CNIDH, Dr. Sixte-Vigny Nimuraba, such a workshop was also organized at the regional level in the provinces of Bubanza, Gitega and Makamba. He pointed out that the concomitant organization of that session, dedicated to building the capacities of magistrates of the basic courts throughout the country, sufficiently proves the concern of the CNIDH to contribute to the consolidation of a real rule of law and a State respectful of human rights. Moreover, he suggested, this activity is in line with the government will to make justice the driving force to establish community development, peace, fair justice and prosperity for all.
According to Dr. Nimuraba, respect for the law and human rights is the mainstay in the administration of justice. All key actors, magistrates, judicial, police and prison authorities and lawyers must comply. To achieve this, he explained, workshop participants must be characterized by self-sacrifice and professionalism that require competence, integrity, dignity, diligence, rigor and humanism. In addition, they must take issue with all illegitimate interference, pressure and intimidation to earn the confidence of the people and the authorities of the country.
However, the chairman of the CNIDH deplored the fact that the applicants who seize that commission reproach justice, the long duration of legal procedures, the corruption, the misplacement of the legal files, the bad reception at the level of the secretariats of the prosecutions and the court registries or the lack of diligence, as well as the excessive delay in the implementation of judicial decisions. “Such a situation mortgages the right to a fair trial”, he insisted, adding that it is for that reason that the CNIDH organized the said workshop in order to promote fair justice and the use of international legal instruments relating to human rights in judicial proceedings and decisions.
Dr. Nimuraba stressed that this two-day workshop will allow participants to identify the major internal and external challenges related to the administration of justice in Burundi and propose realistic solutions to the problems identified. In addition, participants will be able to meet the expectations of plaintiffs with regard to the rapid and impartial investigation of cases and the implementation of judicial decisions within a reasonable time without setting aside the strengthening of their collaboration with the local administration.
On behalf of the Minister of Justice, her assistant, Mrs. Virginie Havugiyaremye, expressed a feeling of gratitude to those who organized that workshop, especially since those concerned still need capacity building. She expressed confidence that this session will allow them to deepen and integrate techniques that take into account the “human rights dimension” in their daily work. She stressed that the Ministry of Justice is committed to working with all those who want to contribute to the qualitative and quantitative improvement of the administration of justice. Mrs. Havugiyaremye urged magistrates to improve their skills further by making good use of new communication technologies to deepen their knowledge. In this way, she insisted, the magistrates will be able to play their role competently and humanely.
Note that during that two-day workshop, different themes are to be developed. These include, among other things, the role of the judge in promoting human rights, ethics and the professional conduct of magistrates, the problem relating to the implementation of judicial decisions in Burundi as well as respect for the right to fair trial by the courts of residence.