BUJUMBURA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The Burundian human rights commission has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cancel the preliminary examination on gross human rights violations that it launched on April 25, 2016, the commission's chairman said here Friday.
"The National Independent Human Rights Commission (CNIDH) urges ICC to cancel the preliminary examination on the alleged human rights violations in Burundi that it had launched on April 25, 2016. Burundian jurisdictions are enough experienced to deal with local judicial cases," CNIDH Chairman Jean Baptiste Baribonekeza told a press conference.
According to him, the east African country's justice sector has been "reformed" and can therefore deal with any judicial cases.
Baribonekeza said the security and human rights situation has "improved" in Burundi.
"CNIDH assumes that the country's 2015 crisis is now over. Criminality cases taking place in Burundi are similar to criminality cases taking place in other countries," Baribonekeza said.
He condemned some organizations like the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) that have been issuing "wrong" reports on Burundi.
Baribonekeza referred to the number of political inmates detained in Burundian prisons whereby a recent report by the FIDH said that at least 10,000 political prisoners are held in the country's prisons whereas the total population of inmates is about 9,000.
"All of those 9,000 inmates are not political prisoners," Baribonekeza added.
CNIDH hailed the request by some 43,000 Burundian refugees for voluntary repatriation, but deplored grenade blasts that took place in July at Bugabira in the northern province of Kirundo, at Gatara in the northern province of Kayanza and at Bwiza in the Burundian capital Bujumbura.
Burundi plunged into a crisis since April 2015 when Burundian President Nkurunziza decided to run his controversial third term in violation of the national constitution and the 2000 Arusha Agreement.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015.
