{"id":6151,"date":"2025-12-22T13:53:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T13:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/?p=6151"},"modified":"2026-01-13T00:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T00:07:17","slug":"a-police-officer-breaks-a-citizens-arm-with-a-baton-protected-by-his-superiors-he-faces-no-consequences-residents-are-demanding-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/a-police-officer-breaks-a-citizens-arm-with-a-baton-protected-by-his-superiors-he-faces-no-consequences-residents-are-demanding-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"A police officer breaks a citizen\u2019s arm with a baton. Protected by his superiors, he faces no consequences. Residents are demanding justice."},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Why Does Police Violence Go Unpunished in Burundi? Who Protects Uniformed Abusers?<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>

The incident occurred on the evening of Thursday, December 10, 2025, on Muzenga Hill, Rutovu Zone, Bururi Commune (Burunga Province). G\u00e9rard CISHAHAYO, 44, a night watchman at a local site known as \u201cMukato,\u201d was violently assaulted by police officer Philbert IRANKUNDA, AP2, badge number CAP 5212\/APN 25113, assigned to the communal police station.<\/p>

\ud83d\udd36\ufe0f Unprovoked and Brutal Violence<\/strong><\/p>

Around 7:00 PM, as night was falling, G\u00e9rard was using his phone\u2019s light to see. He crossed paths with Philbert IRANKUNDA, who accused him of \u201caiming the light at him.\u201d Without warning, the officer attacked him, beating him with a baton. G\u00e9rard attempted to defend himself, but the officer struck his arm with such force that the bone was fractured. The officer also confiscated his phone.<\/p>

\ud83d\udd36\ufe0f Alerted Neighbors, A Life Saved by a Hair<\/strong><\/p>

Injured, G\u00e9rard managed to scream for help. His cries alerted nearby residents who rushed to the scene. Their swift intervention forced the officer to flee, likely saving G\u00e9rard\u2019s life, as he was left on the ground, bleeding. Neighbors urgently transported him to the hospital. After several local attempts at care, he was transferred to Kibuye Hospital (Gitega), where he remains in intensive care.<\/p>

\ud83d\udd36\ufe0f Lies and Impunity: A Familiar Strategy<\/strong><\/p>

Following public outrage, the police hierarchy announced that the officer would be detained in Bururi. But this was a lie. In reality, Philbert IRANKUNDA was simply transferred to another post. No investigation, no suspension, and no prosecution followed. This well\u2011known strategy of cover\u2011up fuels a deep sense of injustice and impunity.<\/p>

\ud83d\udd36\ufe0f An Abandoned Victim with No Means for Treatment<\/strong><\/p>

G\u00e9rard, a humble night watchman, has neither insurance nor stable income. His fracture is severe, his medical costs are high, and the State remains silent. He is left to struggle alone, without compensation or support, despite being assaulted by a State agent.<\/p>

King Umurundi Freedom:<\/p>

– strongly condemns this unacceptable assault;
– demands the immediate arrest of Philbert IRANKUNDA and that he be brought to justice;<\/p>

– calls for G\u00e9rard to receive proper medical care and follow\u2011up.<\/p>

Justice cannot operate at two speeds. Wearing a uniform does not give anyone the right to torture those they are meant to protect.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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SHARE THIS TO RAISE AWARENESS<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Why Does Police Violence Go Unpunished in Burundi? Who Protects Uniformed Abusers? The incident occurred on the evening of Thursday, December 10, 2025, on Muzenga Hill, Rutovu Zone, Bururi Commune (Burunga Province). G\u00e9rard CISHAHAYO, 44, a night watchman at a local site known as \u201cMukato,\u201d was violently assaulted by police officer Philbert IRANKUNDA, AP2, badge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,9],"tags":[49,46,47,48],"class_list":["post-6151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alerts","category-news","category-other-news","tag-bururi-commune-burunga-province-muzenga","tag-gerard-cishahayo","tag-philbert-irankunda","tag-rutovu-zone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6151"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6163,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6151\/revisions\/6163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}