42 Burundian activists were arrested for illegally contesting an upcoming referendum that could see President Pierre Nkurunziza extend his stay in office, opposition lawmakers said.
Those arrested “were held arbitrarily and have been imprisoned on the accusation of campaigning for a No vote,” said Pierre-Celestin Ndikumana, who heads a coalition called Amizero y’Abarundi (“Hope of the Burundians”).
The suggested referendum will pave way for Nkurunziza to run for another term in office. He has been in power since 2005.
The country’s National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) has scheduled elections for February but citing technical problems the vote was postponed to May.
The 42 have all been in custody since December 12, accused of breaching the rule against partisan campaigning for the vote prior to the two-week period before the election.
Ndikumana said that most of those in custody were arrested solely due to being members of the Amizero y’Abarundi coalition.
Burundi plunged into crisis in 2015 when Nkurunziza won a disputed third term.
In December 2015, security forces killed more than ninety people, mostly suspected anti-government supporters.
More than 285,000 refugees have fled the country into neighbouring nations according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and more than 400 people have been killed, although that number could be as high as 1,000.
