A/HRC/33/37 1. Executions committed by the security forces and those who work with them 40. The information received and verified by the independent experts support the conclusion that executions have been committed on a large sale by the security forces, often with the support of the Imbonerakure. From among the many testimonies that were heard, the independent experts highlight the examples below. 41. On the morning of 26 April 2015, 16-year-old Jean Népo was returning from Sunday Mass at St. Joseph’s church in Bujumbura. Near the University Porte d’Afrique, Jean met demonstrators chanting slogans against a third term for the President. The police dispersed the demonstrators who were throwing stones. According to witnesses, a police commissioner ordered one of his officers to kill Jean, who had remained at the scene while the crowd had dispersed. Jean reportedly begged the police to let him live, saying: “I could be your child. I beg you. Save me.” As the officer hesitated, the commissioner pulled out his gun and shot the young man twice in the head. No investigation has been initiated by the authorities into the case. 42. The independent experts received first-hand information confirming the involvement of the Imbonerakure in murders of perceived opposition sympathizers. Thus, a former member of the Imbonerakure testified that he had participated in the killing of 20 individuals in Bujumbura, including two Imbonerakure members who had warned persons of plans to execute them. The witness added that Imbonerakure members were expected to arrest all those who opposed the third mandate, were against the President or did not collaborate with CNDD-FDD. The bodies of those executed in these cases were reportedly placed in bags, transported across the Ruzizi River using makeshift boats and buried in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 43. The attacks of 11 December 2015 by armed groups on four military camps, three in Bujumbura and one in the province of Bujumbura Rural, were followed by operations during which security forces allegedly committed massive violations of human rights, notably a high number of extrajudicial executions of youths. The independent experts received testimonies confirming such extrajudicial executions and indicating that the official number of 87 killed during the two-day attacks was very conservative. 2. Reports of mass graves 44. Allegations of mass burials of those executed during the above-mentioned incidents have been widely reported.13 Initial satellite imagery suggests that bodies may have been buried in mass graves during that period, including in Bujumbura (in Kanyosha and Mpanda) and Bubanza. The independent experts received testimony corroborating the existence of mass graves. Reported intimidation by members of the Imbonerakure and National Intelligence Service officers of persons in possession of related information give further credibility to the testimony. 45. The proper forensic examination of alleged mass graves calls for specialized expertise. In the meantime, the sites concerned must be left undisturbed. The independent experts offered to arrange for the alleged sites to be properly recorded, so that they could be investigated in full at a later stage, but the Government has not responded to the offer. 13 8 See https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-releases/2016/01/burundi-satellite-evidence-supports-witnessaccounts-of-mass-graves.