Jean-Claude Kavumbagu
Jean-Claude Kavumbagu
The internet journalist has been arrested on several occasions for speaking against issues of corruption in government. In 2011, he was charged with treason after publishing a piece that criticized the Burundian forces for not defending the country following a Ugandan attach by suicide bombers resulted in several deaths and injuries.
Kavumbagu was arrested, questioned without a lawyer and imprisoned. Many people, including international human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, condemned his arrest and asked for the charges to be dropped.
After spending ten months in prison, Kavumbagu was released. The 35-year-old subsequently received an award from the National Association of Black Journalists for his “extraordinary work while overcoming tremendous obstacles that contributes to the enrichment, understanding or advancement of people or issues in the African Diaspora.”
