LAUNCHING A SERIES OF TESTIMONY AND REFLEXION CONFERENCES ON THEEVENTS OF 1972 IN BURUNDI

On Wednesday, April 28,  2021  at the 49 anniversary of the 1972 events in Burundi, the Senate Speaker, Rt Honourable Emmanuel SINZOHAGERA; launched a series of testimony and reflection conferences under the theme: “Remembering and properly qualifying the events of 1972 in Burundi”

In his speech, Rt Honourable SINZOHAGERA first explained the background of this inaugural conference by indicating that 49 years back, Burundian authorities organized massive arrests followed by assassinations of many citizens who were thereafter thrown in massive graves.

The Senate Speaker indicated that it is high time to say the truth so that the organizers of that disgraceful and unpardonable crime according to the International Law should tried.

The Rt Honourable said that the Upper Chamber of the Parliament of Burundi, after having analyzed the report which was submitted on January 07, 2021 by the Commission in charge of Truth and Reconciliation (CVR), has now enough information to confirm that the Government of Burundi of that period had planned the killing of a great number of its citizens.

“The time has finally come for the Government of Burundi to properly qualify those crimes in order to tell all the population of Burundi, especially our younger generations, and the world all over, what happened in 1972 and on whom those crimes were perpetrated”, he said.

The Speaker of the Upper House of the Parliament added also that it is time for Burundi to follow the example of other Nation-States elsewhere in the world since the country has signed the Convention of 1948 on the Prevention and Repression of Genocide Crime (CPRCG).

According to the Senate Speaker, genocides, wherever they have been committed, are known as the deadliest crime against humanity and have become a symbol of mourning and pain against unleashed cruelty and the disregard of human’s life.

He also showed that genocide crimes are not and will never be reprieved, nor shall they be neither forgotten, nor neglected. All the attempts to minimize those events, to deny these events, distort them or rewrite history are unacceptable and immoral.

When organizing this activity, the Senate of Burundi wishes to devote these two next months to the exploration of all ways and means to resolve ethnic conflict that plunged many Burundian families into mourning since April 29, 1972, which families demand repair from the Government.

The Senate wants also to get involved in the history of the country, with as object to find solutions by favouring a therapeutic approach to care for victims and heal their wounds, without however sparing the culprits.

According to the Senate Speaker, by dint of more politicization of the reconciliation, we will end by adding insult to injury by doubling the pain of the victims. We must get Burundians themselves rid of falsehood so that the world all over should finally know what Burundi endured in 1972.

During those activities, the former President, Mr Sylvestre NTIBANTUNGANYA was the principal lecturer.