The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of Mr. Norbert Ndihokubwayo, a member of the parliament of Burundi, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/178/12(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 177th session (October 2005),

Taking account of the information provided by the Speaker of the National Assembly at the hearing held on the occasion of the 114th IPU Assembly,

Recalling that in 2003 the then Transitional National Assembly had set up a small parliamentary working group to examine, together with the competent authorities, how to reactivate the investigation into the attempts on Mr. Ndihokubwayo's life perpetrated in September 1994 and again in December 1995, and that one of the persons suspected of perpetrating the attempt on his life in September 1994, which left him severely injured, has since been apprehended, albeit in connection with another crime,

Considering that, according to the Speaker of the National Assembly, it has so far not been possible either to establish what the results of the work of the former parliamentary group were on this case or to trace any file on it in the Attorney General’s office,

Considering further that, with respect to the reconciliation process under way in Burundi, the Speaker stated that discussions on determining the working methods and composition of the Joint Truth and Reconciliation Commission were progressing well and that the parliament was actively involved in raising awareness among the Burundian population about the Commission, which should soon start its work and would focus on establishing the truth and promoting forgiveness; however, should victims of human rights violations, or their families, not wish to pardon the perpetrators, they can resort to the courts; in the event that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concludes that genocide and crimes against humanity have taken place, such cases will be brought before a criminal court chamber to be constituted in such an event,

1. Thanks the President of the National Assembly for her cooperation and the valuable information she has provided;

2. Acknowledges the challenges that the present Burundian authorities, including the parliament, face in fostering reconciliation and their express commitment to firmly basing their efforts in this regard on the principles of truth and justice;

3. Is hopeful therefore that the attempts on Mr. Ndihokubwayo's life will not go unpunished; trusts that the necessary arrangements will be made to ensure that the results of the former parliamentary working group are taken into account by the current parliamentary authorities and that, as a first step, effective and swift action will be taken with respect to the one suspect who is currently in the hands of the authorities; and would greatly appreciate receiving further details in this regard;

4. Reaffirms that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and subsequently the special court chamber can play an important role in shedding light on the attempts on the life of Mr. Ndihokubwayo and can provide fresh impetus in the matter of holding the perpetrators to account; sincerely hopes that the Commission will start its work shortly; and would appreciate being kept informed in this regard;

5. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held during the 115th IPU Assembly (October 2006).

Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 114th IPU Assembly and related meetings in PDF format (file size 503K approximately ). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

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