14 September 2007
Bujumbura — The press conference that was to be held by Burundi's Magistrates Union (SYMABU) at 10 o'clock has not taken place.
This press conference was to be led by Dismas Mubirigi, the head of the SYMABU. The police did not allow this conference to take place. This conference was aimed at telling how the executive and legal powers have interfered in the decisions of magistrates.
SYMABU said that the convention that was agreed upon in 2003 would give independence to the judicial system, but it has not yet been implemented. This incident occurs two days after magistrates came back from a one month break. The Head of State and his ministerial cabinet attended ceremonies opening the new judicial year. The judicial system is subject to the executive branch as the head of State is simultaneously the supreme magistrate and the pilot of the government.
The judicial system is another area in which reforms were conceived according to the Arusha peace accords in order to decrease Tutsi dominance. Reforms in the judicial system are difficult to carry out since the legal system demands qualified personnel, unlike the army and police forces. It is also important to note that as long as the judicial system depends upon the executive branch, no reforms are needed.
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