The circumstances of this campaign were challenging: due to the Burundian electoral campaign, people could be under the impression that IBJ belongs to one of the political parties. We therefore doubled our efforts to present International Bridges to Justice as a non-political and non-partisan NGO, whose aim is to help any person that might get caught up in the criminal justice system.

Above: “freedom is the rule, arrest and detention the exception” placard is here to recall that IBJ is only here to help people. Photo: Celesta Duivenvoorde

 Once again, this legal rights street campaign proved to be a success: almost one thousand people were educated on their basic rights and, among them, 865 volunteered to be interviewed. For the first time, people actually applauded the campaign and explained that they need these type of activities to be informed on their rights. For example, a man approached Astère, the IBJ Fellow, and thanked him for explaining to him that in case he is arrested, he must be explained the reason of his arrest. He admitted that he believed that since the police has the authority of the Public Force, she does not have to justify when acting on behalf of the common interest.

Above: a young man is answering the questionnaire under the gaze of interested bystanders. Photo: Astère Muyango

When we left, the administrator came over and ensured us that everything had gone perfectly. He warmly expressed his gratefulness for the campaign and asked us to do these kind of activities more often in Kinama. We thanked him for his cooperation, which proved again that good cooperation with the Burundian authorities is a necessity to improve the criminal justice system.

Above: 2008 JusticeMakers Finalists Carine Murekerisoni and Olivier Niyonizigiye assisted Fanny Cachat and IBJ in preparations for our July 2009 Training Event in Bujumbura.  Among their contributions – a version of Burundi’s latest Penal Code (on right), which IBJ was subsequently able to distribute widely to participants in the training event.  (Photo by Laura Dix.)

The latter of the two contributions might seem trivial. It was anything but. Though many people in Burundi were aware of the code – few had a copy they could reference. Among those in need –  Bernard Sekaganda – the head of the judicary police of Burundi.

Recognizing these challenges, IBJ Burundi Fellow Astere Muyango ordered 100 copies printed and bound for distribution at the training.

The document created a sensation.  Though the 100 copies nearly doubled the number of participants in attendance, the IBJ team quickly ran out as defenders, magistrates, police and prison officials sought the code on behalf of their colleagues in the provinces.

After the training had finished, IBJ’s staff in Bujumbura had yet to satisfy the demand. Several times a day, people who had heard about the training stopped by the office to request copies of the code.  They would knock on the door, chat with Astere and the IBJ team, and leave with a promise that more copies of the code would be available shortly.

Above: IBJ Program Director Sanjeewa Liyanage with Bernard Sekaganda – the head of the judicary police in Burundi, a participant in the training, and the recipient of a hard copy version of the new Burundi Penal Code. (Photo by Nathalie Mohadjer.)

IBJ has since printed 50 additional copies and – through the subsequent distribution – is becoming a long-overdue resource that the Burundi legal aid community desperately needs.

Sometimes the key to human rights reform is simply putting the law in the hands of the people empowered to uphold it.

Above: During the mock trial portion of the training, the defendant stands before the magistrate and the arresting officer.  (Photo by Nathalie Mohadjer.)

From Monday 29th June to Friday 3rd July, an IBJ delegation met with 58 participants from all levels of the penal system in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura. The training covered the process from arrest through interrogation to detention, treating each theme separately to facilitate the atendees with precise skills.

Employing diverse means such as role play, visual representation and group discussion, the training brought a dynamism to the intricacies of legal practise. (Click here to see an online version of this training.)  Round table discussions hosted by Burundian IBJ Fellow Astère Muyango closed Monday’s training for police officers, magistrates and officials from the penal system and Thursday’s session for lawyers, bringing together the preeminent minds of Burundi’s penal system to brainstorm solutions to the crucial issues of juvenile justice and juristictional aid.

Friday, the highlight of the week for many, brought these groups together in a mock-trial with judges playing detainees, prison directors as magistrates and General Commandant of Police Bernard Sekeganda trying his hand as a lawyer. “It’s a difficult role,” he admitted, the integrated approach of the training provoking sympathies between particpants for the challenges to the work of people they often work against rather than with.

The target of the trainging, to bring together different actors in the penal process to effect an integrated and efficient system, addressed one of the greatest hindrances to justice in Burundi. “It’s a lack of respect for processes at all levels,” André Mbayabaya, director of Gitega province prison, identified as the main obstacle to justice. “We need to work together – it’s all the same system.”

Above: Particpants included magistrates, police officers, prison officials and defenders. (Photo by Nathalie Mohadjer.)

The training also had frequent recourse to distributed copies of the new penal code of Burundi, encouraging the use of this document which marks both much progress made – such as a new precision in the definition of torture, aiding its eraditcation – and the work still to be done, as lack of distribution results in much of the small country operating according to the 1981 version.

With the training bisected by Burundian Independence Day, a moment of national pride gave additional resonance to the newly-equipped legal agents’ dream of a penal process of which the country can be proud. IBJ’s training session has equipped participants with the capabilities to bridge the gap between the justice system as it is and a future Burundian justice system of functioning processes and fair judgements.

Participants gathered at the top floor of the Amahoro Hotel in Bujumbura, a place well suited for IBJ’s mission complete with an amazing view of the city and mountains. They were impressed with the “unusual” format of the training which encouraged them to discuss their professional values and also to take part in a group discussion which shed light on how each profession sees differently within the Burundi law system.

Having seen such a small nation be so eager to embrace the IBJ message, I think the training (and future training) has potential to make a big impact on this central African country.