A/HRC/12/43 page 2 Summary In its resolution 9/19, the Human Rights Council invited the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the Council at its twelfth session on progress on the situation of human rights in Burundi and on its activities, and to make recommendations on suitable independent mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights in Burundi. The present report is submitted to the Council pursuant to this resolution and is the first report on Burundi submitted by the High Commissioner. During the reporting period, the highly politicized environment has manifested itself in disturbing trends in restrictions on civil and political rights and in targeted violence. The rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly have repeatedly been denied to opposition and civil society groups. The legal framework for the protection of human rights, while significantly improved through a newly revised Criminal Code, has stagnated with respect to other key laws. The application of the law is impeded by structural deficiencies in the judicial sector, often resulting in impunity. The Government was roundly applauded for its commitment to establishing a strong institutional framework for the protection of human rights, notably in the form of an independent national human rights commission, an ombudsman, a truth and reconciliation commission and a special tribunal. All these initiatives, however, have suffered from serious delays over recent years. In the absence of such bodies, particularly a national human rights commission, the advice of the international human rights mechanisms becomes even more critical in helping Burundi address its many human rights challenges. While Burundi is striving to catch up with its treaty reporting obligations, its cooperation with the special procedures system of the Human Rights Council needs to be improved.