Eight days after the killing of six civilians in Nyabiraba Commune by the Imbonerakure (the youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party in Burundi), the Bujumbura court issued its verdict on Tuesday, July 8.
The trial was held on Monday and ended with severe penalties for the accused. The court divided the convicted individuals into three groups. The first group included those charged with planning and carrying out the killings.
That group consists of:
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Aloys Hakizimana
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Alexandre Ndikumana
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Innocent Ndayisenga
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Félix Ntirandekura
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Kennedy Manirampa
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Innocent Ntirampeba
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Jean-Pascal Nahishakiye
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Daniel Nyandwi
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Elysée Ndayikengurukiye
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Samuel Ndihokubwayo
These ten individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay 150 million Burundian francs in compensation to the victims’ families.
In addition, the first seven on the list were also ordered to pay an additional 10 million Burundian francs, according to the RPA report.
The second group consisted of two people convicted of complicity:
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Aline Kwizera
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Egide Ndayishimishe
Both were sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 15 million Burundian francs.
The third group included local officials charged with failing to assist persons in danger. They are:
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Meschack Nduwimana
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Rémégie Ndikumana
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Georges Nahimana
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Eddy Ndihokubwayo
Each was sentenced to three years in prison.
Initially, twenty people were prosecuted, but only sixteen were convicted.
The following were acquitted:
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Moise Bigiruwuhiriwe
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Léonce Mpitabavuma
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Eric Nduwimana
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Ferdinand Ntahomvukiye
During the hearings, the prosecutor stressed that the crimes were premeditated, presenting as evidence a list posted at the PAEEJ office (a government program for youth employment and economic development) just before the killings. The list reportedly included the names of the targeted individuals.
