A/HRC/45/32 difficulties and violence suffered by women in the opposition is made worse by the general climate of intolerance towards the political opposition. 55. The Commission was unable to document sexual violence directly related to the electoral process, in part owing to time constraints. Because of the trauma and stigma attached to such acts, victims are often discouraged from immediately reporting them. Nevertheless, the Commission has continued to document cases of sexual violence committed inter alia for political reasons, as reported in paragraph 58 of this document. C. Other violations 56. The Commission had to conduct its investigations in exceptional circumstances owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. It had to cancel several missions to the countries bordering Burundi. In addition, it gave priority to investigating violations committed in the context of the elections and to the economic underpinnings of the State, in accordance with its mandate. Consequently, the Commission has not been able to gather sufficient evidence to corroborate certain allegations of violations of economic and social rights, such as the rights to an adequate standard of living, work or education, nor has it been able to comment on the evolution of certain trends mentioned in its previous report (A/HRC/42/49). 1. Right to life 57. People with a specific profile, such as currency traders and former members of the FAB (the former Burundian army), have been found dead a few days after their disappearance, obviously having been executed. The police have also conducted operations in which people have been summarily executed instead of being apprehended. Bodies bearing signs of violence continue to be found in public places, and the authorities make no attempt to establish the victims’ identities or the circumstances of their death. Recently, to set an example, two police officers received sentences for killing civilians with their service weapons, in a welcome first step in the fight against police impunity. 2. Torture and sexual violence 58. Acts of torture continued to be committed, including sexual and gender violence affecting mostly women and girls, but also men. Such violence was aimed at intimidating, controlling, repressing or punishing women and men for their supposed or actual political opinions, their refusal to join the ruling party or their links with an armed movement. These include cases of gang rape, but also the infliction of blows or burns on the genitals, buttocks or breasts and cases of forced nudity. Such violence was committed mainly by members of the Imbonerakure or of the police during visits or attacks on the victims’ homes, but also in the context of arrest or detention by the National Intelligence Service. Women have been raped after their repatriation to Burundi. 59. The Commission is concerned about the structural nature of sexual violence in Burundi, as the testimonials collected since 2015 demonstrate that this type of violence persists and confirm the trends identified in its previous reports. Despite various programmes designed to facilitate access to justice for the most vulnerable persons, and specifically women, and the fact that there has been better judicial treatment of cases of gender violence, 17 most victims of sexual violence have received direct or indirect threats and have not dared to report on the perpetrators or to seek assistance. This is inter alia due to the high number of perpetrators who are members of the security forces or the Imbonerakure, who have continued to enjoy almost total impunity. 3. Returnees 60. Some returnees have continued to face hostility from local officials and the Imbonerakure, who have intimidated and threatened them and have stolen their return kits. 17 GE.20-10689 Republic of Burundi, Rapport national d’évaluation de la mise en oeuvre de la Déclaration et du Programme d’actions de Beijing, May 2019, pp. 13 and 32. 11