Burundian forces fired shots at anti-government protesters: Amnesty

Amnesty International says Burundian security forces have violently suppressed anti-government demonstrations in the East African country, and fatally shot protesters running away from them during rallies against President Pierre Nkurunziza bid’s for a third term in office.

“Burundian authorities sought not just to disperse demonstrations, but to punish protesters for expressing their political views,” Amnesty International said in a report entitled “Braving Bullets” and released on Thursday.

“They used excessive and disproportionate force, including lethal force, against protesters, at times shooting unarmed protesters running away from them,” the report added.

Amnesty said that Burundian police offers viewed all protesters as rebellious and attempting to overthrow the incumbent government.

“Treating largely peaceful demonstrators and entire residential areas as if they were part of an insurrection was counter-productive and escalated protests rather than defusing them,” the report read.

It did, however, say that some protesters were also violent. A pro-government supporter was, according to Amnesty, killed by the protesters.

The report comes as the results of the Tuesday presidential polls in Burundi are due to be released on Friday.

Electoral Commission President Pierre-Claver Ndayicariye said approximately 74 percent of Burundi’s 3.8 million registered voters cast their ballots in the election.

Burundi has been the scene of street protests and a violent police crackdown over the past weeks. The unrest in the landlocked African country has reportedly left at least 100 people dead since April, when Nkurunziza announced his bid for a third term in office.

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