The political and security environment in Burundi has deteriorated greatly in this pre-electoral period, a few weeks before the elections. The people and the civil society are protesting against the presidential bid of Pierre Nkurunziza, the outgoing president, who would be running for a third term. Their demonstrations are being violently repressed by the police force. In a declaration dated 8 May 2015 Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) stated that her office was giving full attention to the situation in Burundi [1].
On 7 May 2015, FIDH and the iTEKA League published their new fact-finding report on the situation in Burundi that focuses on the political violence that has prevailed in the country in the period leading up to the elections. In their recommendations, FIDH and ITEKA make a special appeal to the ICC Prosecutor “to publicly remind the State that crimes committed in Burundi could fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC and that the persons responsible must be held accountable.”