On 30 June, we received the amazing news that, after serving more than 4 years in prison, human rights defender Germain Rukuki was finally released from detention and reunited with his friends and family!
Germain was arrested on 13 July 2017 in Bujumbura and sentenced to 32 years in prison on 26 April 2018 after being found guilty of “rebellion”, “threatening State security”, “participation in an insurrectional movement” and “attack on the authority of State”. His release comes after the appeal court on 4 June reduced his prison sentence from 32 years to one.
Germain’s case featured in the 2020 Write for Rights campaign where 436,000 people called for his release. But he should never have been jailed in the first place. He was arrested, prosecuted and convicted simply for his human rights work.
Emelyne Mupfasoni, Germain’s wife, told Amnesty International: “From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you all to have mobilised and made it possible for Germain to reunite with us.”
Thank you so much to everyone who supported the campaign and helped secure this great victory for Germain and human rights!