Group protests human rights activist’s detention in Burundi

KAMPALA, Uganda – Human Rights Watch is urging Burundian authorities to either free or charge an activist who has been detained since Nov. 21.

The group said Wednesday that Nestor Nibitanga was arrested at his home in Gitega province and taken to the national intelligence service headquarters in the capital, Bujumbura, before being transferred to jail.

Human Rights Watch’s Ida Sawyer calls the arrest part of a “broader crackdown” on rights activists and journalists in the East African nation.

Nibitanga has worked for the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons.

There was no immediate comment from Burundian authorities.

Burundi has been volatile since April 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to seek a disputed third term. Hundreds of people have been killed in unrest since then.