On 28 July, Corporal Bonaventura Ndikumana was reportedly...

On 28 July, Corporal Bonaventura Ndikumana was reportedly executed after being sentenced to death by the Bujumbura Military Court on July 21 for murdering an officer in the Mabanda military camp. It is unclear why Corporal Ndikumana was tried by the Bujumbura instead of the Mabanda Military Court. Under Burundian law, Corporal Ndikumana had the right to appeal to the Military Court of Appeal, and then to the Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court. He also had the right to appeal for clemency to the Head of State. All these rights were denied him. The execution of Corporal Ndikumana is the first known official execution to have taken place in Burundi since July 1997 when 6 civilians were executed after grossly unfair trials. Over 260 people are currently under sentence of death in Burundi. The majority were sentenced after unfair trials by civilian courts. Two other soldiers, tried by military courts, have been sentenced to death.