Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Burundi abolishes death penalty, criminalizes homosexuality

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

ADVERTISEMENTS

[JURIST] The parliament of Burundi voted Saturday in favor of laws abolishing the death penalty and criminalizing homosexuality in the country. The elimination of the death penalty in Burundi was a requirement for establishing a UN-led truth and reconciliation committee and tribunal in the country. Gay rights groups in the country condemned the criminalization of homosexuality, and stressed the implications of the parliamentary vote for the country's struggle with HIV/AIDS. Burundi is still recovering from a 12-year civil war between the Hutu majority and the dominant Tutsi minority which began in 1993 and claimed more than 300,000 victims. Current Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza BBC profile], an ex-Hutu rebel leader, born-again Christian, and member of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (NCDD-FDD), was elected in 2005 after the implementation of a UN-created peace plan, but his presidency has been marred by accusations of assassinations and torture. Last month s Burundi military court Thursday sentenced am intelligence officer to death for his role in the killings of 31 civilians in the country's Muyinga province in 2006.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on November 22, 2008 (boomark / email).