Burundi Frees Journalist Floriane Irangabiye After Presidential Clemency

By The Inspirer.

Journalist Floriane Irangabiye, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, has been granted clemency by Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

Irangabiye was arrested on August 30, 2022, by Burundi’s intelligence services. She spent eight days in an undisclosed location before being formally charged.

Burundi’s Ministry of Justice noted that Irangabiye lacked a press card, though she asserted her status as a journalist. The Burundian Court of Appeal upheld her 10-year sentence for allegedly compromising national security and sovereignty, a decision originally handed down by a lower court in January 2023.

Following her arrest, Irangabiye was first detained in Muyinga prison before being transferred to a facility near the capital, Bujumbura, in October 2023, and later to Bubanza prison.

While in exile in Rwanda, Irangabiye ran an online radio station called “Igicaniro,” which the Burundian government accused of inciting opposition against the regime and attempting to destabilize the country. Along with her prison sentence, she was fined one million Burundian francs.

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