Burundi: Sandra Muhoza sentenced to 4 years in prison in 2nd trial

In April 2024, Muhoza, a journalist for the privately owned online newspaper La Nova Burundi, was arrested in connection to comments she made in a journalists’ WhatsApp group on the alleged distribution of machetes in the country. In December 2024, she was convicted of undermining the integrity of Burundi’s national territory and inciting ethnic hatred and given a 21-month sentence, according to court documents reviewed by CPJ. In May 2025, an appeal court invalidated the initial trial on jurisdictional grounds and fresh proceedings began in October, on the same charges. In December, 127 African women wrote to Muhoza, expressing solidarity and calling for her release. Sandra Muhoza has been given a four-year sentence for the comments she made on WhatsApp, after almost two years in detention. She was informed of the court’s decision on January 14 and was also fined 200,000 Burundian francs (US$68), according to the news outlets SOS Médias Burundi and Radio Publique Africaine. https://cpj.org/2026/01/burundi-sandra-muhoza-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-in-2nd-trial/amp/