A/HRC/9/14 page 14 FNL-Palipehutu remained a great concern. For example, a 20-year-old female student from Kabonga high school, Nyanza-Lac town in the province of Makamba was raped by a military officer on 25 September 2007. The victim also received injuries to the face and abdomen because she attempted to resist the act. Relatives of the perpetrator put pressure on her to marry the officer. The girl resisted and brought the case to justice. The authorities opened an investigation and arrested the perpetrator. In December 2007, the independent expert was informed that the perpetrator was in custody at the fifth regional military region awaiting military trial. 49. It was also reported that some cases of violation of the right to physical integrity were committed by the police during operations to combat acts of banditry. In some cases, police opened fire against criminals without trying to arrest them; in other cases, violence was committed during acts of robbery against the public. One of the most serious cases was the killing of a man and the injury of another by a police officer in an attempted robbery in Ngozi province on 24 November 2007. In reaction to this act, it is reported that the public beat the police officer to death. 3. Violations of the rights to assembly and freedom of expression 50. Freedom of expression and the right to assembly in Burundi are of great concern to opposition parties. The Government, through province governors and commune administrators, has consistently denied the exercise of these rights to opposition parties. According to information received, only the ruling party can organize meetings without authorization. This practice has been denounced by several non-governmental organizations and civilian organizations in Burundi. 51. The independent expert received copies of several letters from administrators of various provinces in which the authorities denied opposition parties the right to organize ordinary meetings. For example, on 9 March 2008, the administrator of Matongo commune in the province of Kayanza sent a letter to the President of FRODEBU of that commune, in which he stated that all FRODEBU meetings were forbidden. He further explained that this decision had been taken by the governor of the province on 20 February 2008. According to Burundian law, such political meetings do not require any authorization from the authorities; the organizers of such meetings need only to send a note to the local administration for information. 52. The independent expert is very concerned about the violations of the right to freedom of assembly in Burundi. The Government appears to be determined to muzzle any political party that might challenge the ruling party during the coming elections in 2010. This situation is very worrying because the ruling party controls all administration in the country. Some administrators who were elected from other political parties have been removed by the Government, especially in Bujumbura Rural province. Continuation of the situation may lead to confrontations between law enforcement agencies and the opposition because the latter confirmed that they will organize meetings by force if they are prevented from doing so peacefully. 53. The independent expert appeals to the Government to stop such discriminatory policies, as they may lead to serious confrontations between the Government and the political parties affected. In this regard, the international community must play an active role in providing technical assistance to the Government in order to better handle the preparation of the