Burundi President pardons convicted detainees

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has promulgated a decree pardoning various categories of detainees held in the country’s prisons in an attempt to “decongest” detention houses to improve detainees’ living conditions, a decree signed on Monday but publicized on Tuesday said.The decree entirely pardons prisoners convicted to five or less years “except those detained over offences of rape, armed banditry or illegal detention of arms.”The decree also turns death penalty into life imprisonment for all prisoners whose judgment was issued before April 22, 2009 – date of promulgation of the country’s new penal code which abolished the death penalty.Inmates who had been sentenced to life imprisonment will spend 20 years in jail except those detained over war crimes, rape and crimes against humanity, said the decree.According to the decree, pregnant and breastfeeding women held in prisons will benefit from the presidential pardon if they were not convicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.In addition, other vulnerable inmates including those aged 60 years and above as well as inmates suffering from incurable diseases and under 18 year-old children will advantage of the presidential pardon unless they were convicted for war crimes, rape and crimes against humanity.