On Friday 26th July, IBJ team headed to Mpimba, the country’s largest detention center, located right outside of Bujumbura. The Director, a woman in her middle age, sincerely concerned about the situation in her prison, welcomed us with sympathy and openness. While explaining that Mpimba was rarely visited by Westerners, she unlocked the doors of every corner of the prison with rare openness.

While the official capacity is only for 400 persons, there are currently more than 1,800 prisoners at Mpimba, both pre-trial detainees and convicted prisoners. Entering Mpimba, one has to hold his breath at the view of such a massive group of people, including men, women, and children, locked in such a confined and desolate environment. I will not forget the smell of food, dirt, dust, sweat, and despair that filled my senses as I walked in.

The visit began by passing a big tent in one of the inner courtyards of the prison, holding people suffering from contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV. A group of small children, aged from 2 to 5, ran out of the tent when they saw Bazungu walking by, their eyes begging for a sign of attention. A protective hand is all they cared about, and they quickly lended us theirs. Walking hand-in-hand with these kids, we entered the women’s section.

Despite the harsh conditions they face, the women were warm and open. A group of young women spontaneously surrounded me talking in Kirundi. Obviously confused about what they were asking me, I simply smiled at them, and they burst out laughing. Laughter provided the sole way for us to communicate, in addition to aiding them in keeping their heads up. Only later did I understand they wanted soap, which I hadn’t thought of bring.

Despite harsh conditions,these Burundian women were full of dignity. Another woman, Josephine, then run towards us to get our phone number. In perfect English, she explained she had been falsely accused of being an accomplice to robbery, adamantly declaring that she was not guilty; with no lawyer defending her, she had already spent several months waiting to appear before the Judge.

We then moved to the men’s section, which was much more dense and intense. Two wardens and a couple of Kabots kept a close eye on every move we made. We sparked curiosity, most of people wondering what white people were doing in such a desperate and dark place. We walked in a long corridor, crowded with tired human bodies. This corridor seemed like thousand miles long, providing no light, no space, and no comfort at all. You could see inquisitive looks here and there. When detainees tried to get too close to us, or displayed signs of excitement, wardens fiercely pushed them away, which made it hard to really talk to them, notwithstanding the fact that most of them only speak Kirundi.

Inside the corridor, prisoners had reproduced a façade of real life, with small boutiques of cigarettes, other goods, and even a market. From this long corridor, you could access different rooms where the luckiest prisoners have their beds, or should I say, old thin mattresses lying on the concrete floor. In one of the rooms, we met juveniles.

Any convicted adult can go in and out this room without any obstacle. The prison Director later showed us the Juvenile section, which was being refurbished. Mehdi came and talked to one of them. He was 20 years old and had been here for 2 years. Convicted of rape, he had 20 more years to go. Life expectancy in Burundi is not more than 45 years old for man. In prison, I assume this figure is much lower, given the primitive living conditions and criminality.

Acts of solidarity are always striking when misery is extreme. While viewing one of the corridors perpendicular to the main one, we saw women giving food to starving prisoners through the ceiling from the first floor.

At the very end of this seemingly endless corridor, we finally accessed another open garden where many prisoners find shelter. Food was being served. On the right hand side, prisoners were having a shower. I felt ashamed to violate their privacy. We heard a couple “Muzungu!” “Muyungu!” but did not get to have anymore contact with them. To be honest, I was scared, not by the insecurity, but by the misery I was facing. We then turned back and took this long corridor again to go to another courtyard which held the medical center. While it was intended to be were the sick were treated and cured, to me, it rather looked like the chamber to death.

As we eventually walked out of the prison, I was frightened by the sound of the big steel door shutting behind us. This is what will always lock these people away from freedom. Freedom, to which, only lawyers hold the key.

The morning began with a session of qigong, hosted by Heim Center curator Eduardo Von Fellenberg, to focus and direct the fellows on the last day of the Summit. Much of the day was intended to aid the fellows in learning about the logistical aspects of IBJ, namely country evaluation, monitoring reports, and the importance of keeping accurate accounting records to secure long-term funders. Before heading off the International Red Cross Museum and the United Nations to celebrate the end of the summit and see some of the sights of Geneva, the Summit closed with a final feedback and brainstorming session, addressing both the challenges faced going forward and the lessons learned from the week.The common thread was the challenge faced by securing sufficient amounts of funds for criminal defense projects in each of the fellow’s countries. Picking up on the tools learned in the fundraising session, led by Pam Calhoun earlier in the week, Rwandan fellow John Bosco Bugingo brainstormed ideas on how to locally fundraise, suggesting the possibility of holding a ‘Give a Dollar for Justice’ radio spot on the local radio programs, whereby the majority of citizens in Rwanda will learn the message of IBJ and give. Burundian fellow Astère Muyango liked this idea, highlighting the importance of the radio in both fundraising and getting out the message of legal rights.The last fellow to speak was Ajay Verma, who commented on his pride in creating a ‘fellow task force,’ comprised of the six fellows present at the Summit this week.  Because of this week, Verma noted, the fellows were able to appreciate and fully understand the challenges, both alike and dissimilar amongst, of their colleagues around the world. With wide support, Verma suggested that the fellows act as a global support group to one another, continuing to be in touch with one another to discuss problems or challenges faced as they soldier on in the name of criminal justice.(Staff and Fellows listen intently to presentations on the last day of the First Annual Fellows Summit held in Geneva)

That night we met with our partner Pierre. He was nervous about the training. He had seen our training plan and didn’t think it would work. He told us that Burundians are shy, reserved people who would be uncomfortable sharing their values and participating in the other training exercises we had designed. I was also feeling nervous and Mehdi confided that he had felt like taking the next flight back to France.

We all woke up very early the next day, ready to begin. I was feeling like I always did on the morning of a trial: anxious, stressed and vaguely unwell. I wondered if people would show up. What kind of solutions could we offer people who have suffered the kind of social upheaval that Burundi experienced? Would the training address the major needs to overhaul a system in need of much attention and fixing?
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The training was to begin on Tuesday, May 20th and we went to court on Monday to get a glimpse of the legal system to prepare for the session. The courthouse had seen better days. Many of the windows were broken and litter was strewn about. Inside the building people were milling about in the halls lethargically. Only one courtroom was conducting business that morning.Inside the courtroom three judges sat on their dais. Unlike the common law system, in civil systems there are no juries, just a panel of judges who function as fact finders and arbiters.

There weren’t any court reporters, computers or clerks to update the files. The court dockets were stacked in a large pile on the bench. I could tell right away that getting justice in Burundi would be a painstaking, inefficient and labor-intensive process.

The courtroom, which would only be handling civil matters that day, was filled to capacity with citizens who would be appearing before the judges that day. In an American courthouse, you would see lawyers everywhere. In fact, there would be more lawyers than clients waiting in the halls. This was not the case in Burundi. Only two attorneys were present that day, excluding Mehdi and me. We later learned that there are only about 90 lawyers for the entire country. Of these lawyers, only a tiny percentage practice criminal law and all of them are concentrated in the capital of Bujumbura.

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IBJ is pleased to announce that Mr. Astère Muyango, a clinical legal aid expert, has been recruited as IBJ’s Burundi Fellow.

Astère holds a Bachelor of Law from the Law University of Burundi. Astère brings more than 5 years of experience in legal assistance and project management to IBJ. His most formative experience was as Assistant Coordinator of the Clinical Legal Aid Project of the International South African-based non-governmental organization ACCORD (African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes), where he delivered capacity-building to grassroots organizations, provided legal counsel to vulnerable groups and managed partnerships with other legal aid providers in the country. Building on his expertise in legal assistance and his strength in NGO management, Astère will provide the on-the-ground leadership to IBJ’s Burundi program. He will contribute to refine the program’s strategic goals, coordinate the main activities of the program and cement strong working relationships with the local partners.Welcome to the IBJ family, Astère!

IBJ is pleased to announce its renewed partnership with APRODH (Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons). This is an encouraging sign as it signals the start of the movement to prevent torture and effectively implement progressive and fair criminal legislation in Burundi. This agreement recognizes APRODH as a primary vehicle through which Burundi’s human rights ideals can be concretely realized. It also acknowledges IBJ’s commitment to assist in efforts by civil society and professional bodies to implement existing criminal laws through providing legal training, structural support and material assistance.

From left: Program Director Sanjeewa Liyanage, APRODH Founder and Chairman Pierre Claver Mbonimpafar, IBJ Founder and CEO Karen Tse, Legal Representative Jean-Baptiste Sahokwasama and former IBJ Africa Fellow Marlon Zakeyo following the conclusion of the MOU in Burundi.

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IBJ is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a substantial grant from the European Union. The European Union is financing the Cambodia, Burundi and Zimbabwe Criminal Defender Programs for a three-year period starting from December 2008. With that crucial support, IBJ will significantly contribute to the eradication of the practice of torture and other cruel and inhumane treatment against accused persons through the effective access to competent and timely legal representation for these countries’ most vulnerable groups. With the support of the European Union, IBJ will foster an enduring respect for human rights culture in crisis-torn Zimbabwe and post-genocide Cambodia and Burundi where early signs of progress and recovery are challenged by the weak rule of law prevailing on a daily basis.

Under its criminal defenders programs funded by the European Union, IBJ seeks to build the in-country leadership of the national criminal justice movements, strengthen the capacity of criminal defenders, judges, police and prison officials. Furthermore, sparking dialogue and collaboration among them has potential to effectively implement the criminal legislation, improve ordinary people’s awareness of their legal rights and provide effective direct case support to the most vulnerable.

“The European Union is made up of 25 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.”

The European Commission is the EU’s executive body.

After Marlon vigorously searched through IBJ’s resumes, we found a French criminal defender who was interested in IBJ’s work. We called him and within a week we were meeting our trainer. Mehdi Benbouzid, a French criminal defender with extensive experience training lawyers, students and police, has an invested interest in Africa and a commitment to human rights. He also had the necessary amount of francophone civil law expertise, as he had a Law degree and a Masters in Law from Université Jean Moulin in Lyon. He had been actively practicing as a criminal defender for twelve years, all the while teaching and lecturing on criminal law. He had lectured on war crimes and crimes against human rights. He had recently completed work with the International Red Cross in Syria and Jordan as a field coordinator/team leader, interviewing suspected terrorists held in Jordan and providing human rights assessments in Syria. He was perfect.

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IBJ began planning the Burundi training program in earnest in February of 2008. It was my responsibility to adapt our work in China and Vietnam to this training. I was being assisted by a young Zimbabwean attorney, Marlon Zakeyo. Marlon had worked as an intern for IBJ for two years, during which time he had been building relationships with legal organizations in Africa.

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I arrived at International Bridges to Justice in November of 2007 to fill the role of Deputy Director. Prior to working at IBJ, I was a public defender in San Francisco for twenty-two years. I had met the founder of IBJ, Karen Tse, in 1992 when we were colleagues in the SFPD office. After gaining experience as a defender, Karen moved on to a career as an international human rights attorney. She founded IBJ in 2001.When I began working at IBJ, the organization had already developed an expertise in training attorneys and developing systemic solutions to implementing criminal laws in Asia. Preparatory work had already been completed to expand IBJ’s programs into Burundi and Rwanda, and one of my first assignments was to organize the first training of defenders, judges, police, prosecutors and members of civil society in Burundi. Contemporaneously, IBJ had plans to follow up work in Rwanda by launching a rights awareness campaign in that country.

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