Government has committed crimes against humanity in Burundi, UN says
Geneva — UN investigators on Monday accused Burundi’s government of crimes against humanity, including executions and torture, and urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open a case "as soon as possible". The UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi said it had "reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed and continue to be committed in Burundi", pointing a finger at "the highest level of the state". The three investigators, appointed by the Human Rights Council in September 2016, described a "climate of fear" in the crisis-hit east African country. The report detailed widespread and systematic abuses including extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances, torture and sexual violence. "We are struck by the scale and the brutality of the violations," commission president Fatsah Ouguergouz said in a statement. Decrying impunity in Burundi and the "strong likelihood that the perpetrators of these crimes will remain unpunished", the investigator...
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