By IFEX\Reporters Without Borders
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Sandra Muhoza remains in prison despite a Court of Appeal ruling that it lacks jurisdiction, effectively nullifying her conviction and arrest warrant.
This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 1 July 2025.
More than six months after a trial in the lower court, the Court of Appeal in Mukaza found it does not have jurisdiction to rule on Sandra Muhozaโs sentence. This decision renders null and void the initial conviction and the arrest warrant for the journalist. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the authorities to enforce the law and put an end to the illegal detention of Sandra Muhoza.
She should no longer be behind bars. However,ย Sandra Muhozaโsย legal drama continues to the point of absurdity. On 13 June, the Mukaza Court of Appeal, hearing the journalistโs case, found it did not have jurisdiction in the case. The grounds for this decision? The alleged offense was committed in Ngozi, not in Burundiโs capital.
This lack of jurisdiction de facto invalidates the journalistโs conviction by the lower court, as well as the arrest warrant issued by the Mukaza prosecutorโs office, which had led to her detention. However, more than 15 days after this decision, Sandra Muhoza remains imprisoned in Mpimba central prison, โon the grounds of an illegal arrest warrantโ, according to Sandra Muhozaโs lawyer, Prosper Niyoyankana. He sees this as a way for the courts to โshirk their duty to judgeโ. This decision comes seven weeks after the reopening of the proceedings, ordered by the court on 26 April, on the grounds of the first courtโs potential lack of jurisdiction.
โNot only should she never have been incarcerated, but she should not spend another second there! The continued detention of La Nova Burundi journalist Sandra Muhoza is based on judgements and documents that have been invalidated by the courts. It is now up to the authorities to ensure that the consequences of this decision are applied without delay. Free Sandra Muhoza!โ
Sadibou Marong, Director, RSF Sub-Saharan Africa
An unfair trial
In December 2024, Sandra Muhoza was sentenced to 21 months in prison โ 18 months for โundermining the integrity of the national territoryโ and three for โracial aversionโ โ for having relayed information about an alleged distribution of arms by the government on a private WhatsApp group for news professionals.
Prior to the reopening of the proceedings, the trial had been postponedย threeย times, all for dubious โ even spurious โ reasons. A hearing was finally held on 26 March, at which the prosecution unveiled โnew accusations without evidence,โ according to the journalistโs lawyers, including exchanges with an activist and media in exile.
In response to the arbitrary nature of Sandra Muhozaโs detention, in March 2025 RSF referred the matter to the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoplesโ Rights (ACHPR).
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