The Union of Burundi Journalists (UBJ) on Friday 20 August 2010 sent a written petition to the president of the Republic, Nkuruzinza, asking him to personally intervene and free journalist John Claude Kavumbagu, who has been languishing in Mpimba central remand prison since early July this year.

Kavumbagu was arrested on 17 July 2010, and the authorities have detained him since claiming the court files are not yet ready. He faces charges of sedition.

He has previously been arrested and detained 5 times and has often gotten into trouble with the authorities each time he writes on the shortcomings of the ruling party. However, he has never been convicted of any offence.

In the petition dated 19 August 2010, delivered at the end of a workshop by the UBJ on executive committee members' capacity building, the Union "noted with regret that the state of the media in the country is fast moving from bad to worse.

The UBJ also warned the authorities that throwing journalists into prison is not a solution to the problem, adding that this was just an act of intimidation that will not silence them.

The Union also pointed out to the president the plight of journalist Thierry Ndyishimiye, the director and publisher of the Arc en Ciel (Rainbow) newspaper, who arrested on the morning of Tuesday, 10 August 2010, and is still being detained at the Central prison of Mpimba in the capital Bujumbura.

"Taking into account of these violations, the UBJ would want to call on your government to immediately stop this tendency that does not serve any other purpose, except giving Burundi a bad name," the petition read in part.

The UBJ invited the President of the Republic to personally involve himself to ensure the liberty of Kavumbagu, "because the continued incarceration of the journalist could serve as a bad omen for the President's new term in office as it amounts to grave violation of media freedom and freedom of expression in Burundi.