Sandra Muhoza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Racial aversion
Sandra Muhoza | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Employer | La Nova Burundi |
| Criminal charges | Attacking the integrity of the national territory Racial aversion |
| Criminal penalty | 18 months imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Detained |
Sandra Muhoza is a Burundian journalist. Working primarily for the online media outlet La Nova Burundi, in 2024 she was arrested after sharing information concerning the government's distribution of weapons, for which she was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.
Arrest, trial and imprisonment
On 13 March 2024, Muhoza was arrested while preparing to interview a businessman in Ngozi; the following day, she was taken to the headquarters of the National Intelligence Service in Bujumbura, where she was detained and interrogated for five days before being transferred to Mpimba Central Prison, also in Bujumbura. It was alleged that during her interrogation, Muhoza had been blindfolded, handcuffed, and beaten, and provided only one meal of rice and beans a day.[1][2][4][5]
Muhoza was charged with "attacking the integrity of the national territory" and "racial aversion" after sharing information on a private WhatsApp group about reports that the National Council for the Defence of Democracy – Forces for the Defence of Democracy, the ruling party in Burundi, was providing machetes for members of its youth wing, the Imbonerakure.[1][2][6] It was reported that the businessman Muhoza had planned to interview when she had been arrested had links to the CNDD-FDD and the National Intelligence Service.[1][4] The state prosecutor stated its intent to request a 12-year prison sentence for Muhoza, in addition to a fine of one million BIF.[6][7]
Muhoza's trial was scheduled to start in September 2024 at the Mukaza High Court, but was postponed until November after it was reported that there was a lack of available fuel to transport Muhaza from Mpimba Central Prison to the courthouse.[2][6] During her trial, Muhoza's lawyers argued that she had been doing her job as a journalist and had been exercising her right to freedom of expression when sharing the information she had heard on WhatsApp. Giving evidence, Muhoza stated that the impact of the assassination of Melchior Ndadaye, the former President of Burundi, and the subsequent outbreak of the Burundian civil war and ethnic violence on her parents had motivated her to share the information about the procurement of machetes by the CNDD-FDD due to her wish for history not to be repeated.[7][8]
On 16 December 2024, Muhoza was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment for "attacking the integrity of the national territory" with a concurrent three month sentence for "racial aversion". Muhoza's lawyer, Prosper Niyoyankana, described the sentence as "unreasonable and motivated by a clear desire to silence anyone who disagrees with the regime".[2]
Appeal
Muhoza's appeal hearing was scheduled to start on 4 March 2025 but was adjourned twice, to 11 March and then 19 March, due to it being reported that there were no available vehicles to transport Muhoza from prison to the courthouse.[9] On 13 June 2025, the Mukaza Court of Appeal ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to rule on Muhoza's case, due to the alleged crime occurring within Ngozi and not Bujumbura, rendering her initial conviction and arrest warrant null and void. Muhoza was informed of the decision on the same day, but remained detained at Mpimba Central Prison under what her lawyer described as an "illegal warrant".[3][10]
Muhoza remained in detention despite her successful appeal until her retrial began in October 2025.[11][12] An appeal hearing scheduled for 13 November 2025 was postponed shortly before it was supposed to start; Muhoza's lawyers criticised this as a further attempt by authorities to keep Muhoza in prison, and stated that her health had declined to the point that she required crutches to walk.[13]
On 14 January 2026, Muhoza was informed that she had been given a four-year prison sentence following a re-trial, in addition to a fine of 200, 000 BIF.[14]
On 4 March 2026, Muhoza was provisionally released on the condition that she remained in Ngozi Province, report regularly to authorities, and not "obstruct the investigation" or "cause scandal by her conduct".[15][16]