Germain Rukuki, a human rights defender in Burundi, was expected to appear before the Ntahangwa High Court today 27 March 2018 for the second hearing of his trial. However, the date has now been postponed for the third time and re-scheduled for next Tuesday 3 April. In the meantime, Germain remains in detention.
Protection International regrets the new postponement of the hearing, which is the last of many delays indicating insufficient respect for juridical safeguards in the legal process since Germain Rukuki was arrested in Bujumbura on 13 July 2017.
Protection International expresses its support to Germain Rukuki against this unlawful criminalization and calls on the Burundian authorities to fully respect fair trial guarantees leading to his release. The arrest of Germain is part of a deliberate and continuous attempt by the government of Burundi to silence human rights defenders in the country.