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A Burundian journalist who has been detained since 2024 and recently sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, Sandra Muhoza, was released on parole on Wednesday.
Her lawyer told AFP that she appeared in court visibly weakened and using a crutch. The journalist was suffering from a herniated disc, according to a relative.
Muhoza, who works with an online outlet, La Nova Burundi, was sentenced to four years for “undermining the territorial integrity of the nation and racial hatred”.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also said Muhoza was convicted for sharing information in a private WhatsApp group about alleged arms distribution by the government.
RSF described the journalist’s case as proof that Burundian authorities “continue to treat journalism as a crime”, noting Muhoza was the only woman journalist arbitrarily detained in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to AFP, Muhoza’s provisional release was authorised by the Ngozi prosecutor’s office in a written order dated February 27, but her release took effect on Wednesday afternoon.
Media experts say press freedom in Burundi is legally guaranteed on paper, but severely restricted and under intense pressure in reality, and the situation has remained tough for many years.
Burundian journalists and media workers often operate under constant surveillance and pressure, leading many to self‑censor. Arbitrary arrests, threats, beatings, and detention of journalists have been reported, sometimes by police or by youths linked to the ruling party.
Journalist arrests are common in the country, which ranks 125th out of 180 countries for press freedom, according to RSF. Floriane Irangabiye, another Burundian female journalist, was arrested in 2022.
She was reportedly arrested for interviewing critics. She was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment but was granted a presidential pardon and was released from prison on 16 August 2024 after more than 18 months in detention.
