Vital Nshimirimana, is a lawyer and human rights activist. His defence of human rights in Burundi and opposition to the controversial third term of President Pierre Nkurunziza meant he had to flee his home. Today he continues his work from Rwanda.
This is the story of Vital.
Vital joined the judiciary in 2004, and became an active member of the Union of Magistrates, going on to chair it in 2009. With his fellow magistrates, he focused on exposing the lack of judicial independence and the wide ranging consequences this can have. He registered with the Burundi Bar association in June 2013. During his time as a lawyer he prosecuted high profile cases, including two cases at the East African Court of Justice . As chair of the Forum for the Strengthening of Civil Society (FORSC), made up of 146 national NGOs, he often engaged national decision makers on issues including human rights, good governance and democratic principles. He also worked to oppose constitutional changes and his actions culminated in calling for peaceful demonstrations aimed at opposing the third term of the President. This is when life changed dramatically for Vital.
Following peaceful protests in April 2015 security forces and the national intelligence service targeted Vital and his family. Vital was forced to flee to Rwanda in late May 2015. Vital is not alone, over 320,000 Burundians have fled the country:
The human rights situation in Burundi is bleak, with detentions, torture and rape carried out against many people:
Those who are victims of rape, are especially vulnerable and stigmatised. It's often difficult for women and girls to talk about their experiences:
"When they speak out they are victimised twice, because they are humiliated and to some extent they are stigmatised because of their status as a victim"
"The main perpetrators of human rights abuses in Burundi are the security forces, members of the army, members of the national police and most importantly the intelligence service"
Despite living in exile Vital continues to work for peace in Burundi. He and his fellow human rights defenders monitor the situation, investigating and reporting on crimes:
"We never give up working on human rights"
The UK government has supported those who seek to defend human rights in Burundi and document their violations. They have helped to fund a network that brings together civil society organisations who monitor and respond to violence and human rights abuses across Burundi. They also provide services drawing on the specialties of the member organisations such as psychosocial care, mediation and legal services. The UK government has also been helping those affected by the crisis, providing £3m in humanitarian assistance and £46m to support some of the 320,000 Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries. The British High Commission in Kigali, regularly meets with Vital inviting him to brief officials and visiting UK Ministers, on the current situation to inform the ongoing response.
The work of Vital and others like him helps to ensure that human rights violations are documented and basic rights protected. Human rights defenders like Vital continue to need our help and support, so they can bring about justice and peace.
As for the future, Vital has this message:
