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00:00It was only a few hours before the trial was set to begin that Sandra Mujoza's lawyers learned that the hearing would be held
00:08inside Pimba's central prison where the journalist is currently detained.
00:12But despite this last-minute change, there were ultimately denied entry according to sources close to the case.
00:19A decision that has sparked anger, but above all deep concern among Mujoza's relatives.
00:25The journalist was arrested by intelligence services in April 2024.
00:30She was initially sentenced to 21 months in prison for undermining national integrity and racial aversion
00:37after sharing in a WhatsApp group information regarding an alleged distribution of weapons by the government.
00:44The prosecution appealed and Sandra Mujoza now faces 12 years in jail on the same charges.
00:51Speaking to France 24, Sadi Boumarong, the head of Reporters Without Borders' Sub-Saharan Africa office,
00:58condemned the charges as baseless and confirmed that the case has been referred to the special rapporteur on freedom of expression in Africa.
01:07Burundi currently ranks 108th in Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index.
01:14Once home to one of the region's most vibrant media landscapes,
01:18Burundi press freedom has deteriorated sharply since the failed coup of 2015 and the political crisis that followed.