Nairobi,
January 21, 2015 - Burundian authorities imprisoned the director of the privately
owned Radio Publique Africaine on Tuesday and charged him with complicity in
murder, according to news reports.
The arrest followed the station's broadcast of an
interview in which an unidentified guest said he was involved in the September
murder of three Italian nuns, news reports said.
Prosecutor
Emmanuel Nkurikiye accused Bob Rugurika in court of concealing the identity of
an individual who in an interview with the station last week said he had been
involved in the murders of three nuns in Kamenge, a town north of
Bujumbura, according to local journalists.
The source also identified others
who he said participated in the murders, including former and current
intelligence and police officers, reports said. He did not provide any
evidence.
The
station, which is known for its criminal investigative reports, refused the
prosecutor's request to reveal the name of the source. Rugurika told the
prosecutor it was not "his job to arrest criminals," his lawyer said,
according to news reports.
Rugurika
has been charged with breach of public solidarity, complicity in
murder, and violating the secrecy of an investigation, his defense lawyer,
Lambert Nigarura, told CPJ. He faces up to 20 years in jail. According to
Burundian criminal law, a panel of judges will review Rugurika's case in one
week to determine whether he will be eligible for bail.
He
is being held in Mpimba Prison in the capital, Bujumbura, according to news
reports.
Italian
nuns Lucia Pulici and Olga Raschietti were found dead in their dormitory on
September 7, 2014, and Bernadetta Boggian was found dead the next day, news
reports said. Police arrested one suspect shortly after the
murders, but some reports questioned why the third nun was killed despite
being guarded by police.
The
station had conducted a series of investigative reports on the murder case last
week. Prior to his arrest, Rugurika told CPJ that another RPA journalist had
gone into hiding fearing arrest for investigating the case.
"Bob
Rugurika and the rest of RPA staff are doing their jobs by reporting on a
heinous crime. The confidentiality of sources is integral to investigative
journalism," CPJ East Africa Representative Tom Rhodes said. "We call
on authorities to focus on the perpetrators of the crime, not the
messenger-they should drop all charges against Rugurika and release him
immediately."
Burundian
journalists and activists gathered outside the courthouse on Tuesday to protest
Rugurika's arrest, according to local news reports. The privately owned weekly Iwacu released an online petition, calling for the journalist's release.
The
murders made international headlines. The nuns had lived in Burundi for seven
years, where they offered health care and support to the local communities,
according to news reports. Pope Francis said he was "deeply
affected" by the murders, while Italian Foreign Minister Federica
Mogherini said the killings had brought "great pain," news reports said.
CPJ is an
independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom
worldwide.
Media contacts:
Sue Valentine
Africa Program
Coordinator
Peter Nkanga
West Africa
Representative
Email: pnkanga@cpj.org
Tom Rhodes
East Africa
Representative
Email: trhodes@cpj.org
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