ACAT-Burundi 2025 Annual Report: Persistent Abuses and an Escalating Prison Crisis

ACAT-Burundi’s 2025 Annual Report highlights a deeply concerning human rights situation, ten years after the 2015 political crisis. The year was marked by a tense electoral context, shrinking civic space, intimidation of political opponents, and continued pressure on human rights defenders and journalists.
Serious human rights violations remain frequent and largely unpunished. ACAT-Burundi documented at least 185 killings, 49 abductions or enforced disappearances, 125 arbitrary arrests, and 42 cases of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. These figures likely underestimate the true scale of abuses, reflecting a persistent climate of fear and impunity, often involving state agents or members of the ruling party’s youth league, the Imbonerakure.
The report also highlights major dysfunctions within the justice system, including delays in judicial processes and the lack of credible investigations, which contribute to the recurrence of violations. Victims and their families face significant barriers in accessing justice.
In addition, the prison situation remains critical. As of 31 December 2025, Burundi’s prisons held 12,749 inmates for an official capacity of 4,294, representing an occupancy rate of approximately 296%. This extreme overcrowding severely undermines detainees’ fundamental rights, including access to food, healthcare, hygiene, and humane detention conditions.
Arbitrary detention remains widespread, with individuals held for long periods without trial or kept in custody despite court orders for their release.
In light of these findings, ACAT-Burundi calls on the Burundian authorities to take urgent action to end human rights violations, combat impunity, and improve prison conditions. The organisation also urges the international community to remain engaged and support efforts to promote justice, protect victims, and uphold the rule of law.
ACAT-Burundi Annual Report 2025