In a report published today, Amnesty International appealed to
all parties in Burundi's civil war to immediately halt deliberate
killings of unarmed civilians and to act responsibly to prevent a
slide into human rights catastrophe.

* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *

22 March 2001
AFR 16/011/2001
48/01

In a report published today, Amnesty International appealed to
all parties in Burundi's civil war to immediately halt deliberate
killings of unarmed civilians and to act responsibly to prevent a
slide into human rights catastrophe.

Amnesty International's report, Burundi:Between hope and
fear, paints a deeply disturbing picture of the inexorable rise
in killings of unarmed civilians, "disappearances", torture,
arbitrary arrests and massive population displacement. The report
also looks at the legal protection the peace agreement should
provide, and argues that "without justice, there can be no future
accountability, and no long term security."

Since the signing of the Arusha peace agreement on August
28 2000, violence has escalated leaving hundreds of civilians
killed. "Signature of the peace agreement has in no way changed
patterns of human rights abuse in Burundi," the organization
said. "However, whatever its shortcomings, the peace agreement
represents a key moment in Burundi's political history which
could serve as an opportunity to break decades of violence and
impunity."

The peace agreement, which is yet to come into force,
represents the best opportunity in recent years to ensure better
respect for human rights in Burundi. It provides a framework to
acknowledge and investigate past human rights abuses and to
reform and strengthen institutions such as the judiciary and
armed forces.

"The alternative of continued and escalating conflict, of
generalized violence and further human rights crisis, must be
avoided at all costs", said Amnesty International. "The hundreds
of incidents of human rights abuses and violence since August
underline the desperate need to find a solution to Burundi's
precarious situation."

Recommendations
The Amnesty International report calls on all parties in the
conflict to:
take immediate action to prevent further unlawful
killings of unarmed civilians;
investigate allegations of human rights abuses made by
the security forces and armed opposition groups, and bring the
perpetrators to justice;
stop recruiting children or forcing them to perform work
in support of the military or armed opposition operations;
undertake reforms to ensure a functioning and impartial
legal system ;
protect the rights of internally displaced persons and
refugees;
guarantee that employees of humanitarian and human rights
organizations are not threatened, arrested or killed, and can
freely carry out their work.

The report also calls on the international community to
use their political influence and financial resources to support
programs to promote and protect human rights in Burundi. "The
ability of the Government of Burundi and inter-governmental
agencies to implement these recommendations will be seriously
diminished without the support of key donor agencies," Amnesty
International added. "We also urge the international community to
recognize and support the key role which national human rights
groups play in defending human rights."
\ENDS
public document
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Note to editors
The audio-visual media team at Amnesty International has a short
video on Burundi available for broadcast use in English and
French. "Caught in the Crossfire: The Struggle for Human Rights
in Burundi" covers the following issues: population displacement,
prison conditions, deaths in custody, 'disappearances' and
torture.

Please, note that certain copyright conditions apply. To order
copies, please contact World Images:
Tel: 00 44 117 930 4099
Fax:00 44 117 930 4088
e-mail: [email protected]

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For more information please call Amnesty International's press
office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW web :
http://www.amnesty.org

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