A/HRC/33/37 64. Protest in the form of public demonstrations (except if organized by the authorities) hardly occurs any more, by all accounts not because there is less reason to protest, but because of fear of the consequences. F. Arbitrary or unlawful arrests and detention, including mass arrests 65. Arbitrary arrests and detention have been a cornerstone of the repression in Burundi and have opened the way for a wide range of other human rights violations. Arbitrary arrests and detention surged after 26 April 2015, targeting individuals demonstrating against a third term for the President. After the attempted coup of May 2015, the authorities intensified the repression. The National Intelligence Service, the National Police, the Imbonerakure and the National Defence Force reportedly tracked down opponents, notably through cordon-and-search operations and raids in the so-called opposition neighbourhoods of Bujumbura. 66. According to testimony received by the independent experts, the security forces would typically bring arrested persons to temporary detention sites before sorting them according to their presumed collaboration with armed opposition groups or involvement in the movement against a third term. 67. Persons arrested by the security forces would often be subjected not only to physical abuse but to extortion, asked to pay “ransoms” of 4-5 million Burundian francs to middle men in an attempt to secure their release. 68. Mass arrests have become common during the crisis, both in certain neighbourhoods of the capital and at the borders. The security forces engage in almost daily raids in the socalled opposition neighbourhoods of Bujumbura. Early in the morning, police officers arrive heavily armed, encircle the targeted area by ordering all occupants of the houses to empty their homes for the purpose of searches. Some are arrested. Young people aged 1835 are particularly targeted. This practice creates a climate of fear and panic in the neighbourhoods concerned. 69. Prison overcrowding is alarming, as there is a 300 per cent occupancy rate in some prisons. Mpimba prison in Bujumbura, which the independent experts visited, was built for 800 prisoners but was housing 3,800 instead. 70. The investigations confirmed an abuse of pretrial detention and a practice of prolonged detention without charges. During their visit to Mpimba prison, the experts encountered several very young detainees who had reportedly been arrested during the demonstrations in the first half of 2015 but who had not yet been put on trial for any offence. Unacknowledged places of detention 71. Although the Prosecutor General of the Republic has formally denied the existence of unacknowledged places of detention, the independent experts conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the security forces and the Imbonerakure have established several such sites. 72. A number of victims interviewed by the independent experts identified the exact places of their detention, which include: (a) In Bujumbura: (i) A green painted house near the office of the apostolic nuncio; (ii) An uninhabited house in the area of Mutakura, located between 8th and 9th streets; 12