Woman in Burundi imprisoned after accusing a priest of sexual abuse

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Posted on 10/18/2024 10:12:40 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

Acquitted but still imprisoned—that is the fate of Émilienne Sibomana, a Burundian woman who has been behind bars for nearly two years for false accusations after she accused a priest, who was also a school principal, of sexually abusing minors in the Archdiocese of Gitega, located in Burundi's second-largest city with the same name.

The case began in January 2023. According to the appeal decision, which La Croix International obtained, Émilienne Sibomana, a secretary at a high school, accused the school’s principal during a public meeting of sexually assaulting some female students in his office. The day after the meeting, she was arrested and imprisoned for making false accusations.

La Croix International has confirmed that on the day of Sibomana’s arrest, Archbishop Bonaventure Nahimana of Gitega appointed three priests to investigate “the truth or falsehood of the allegations against the school principal.” The investigation was conducted in just one day. The next day, the commission members submitted their report to the archbishop, recommending that the inquiry be closed. The archbishop complied, stating in his decree that “there was no need to initiate a criminal trial” against the accused priest.

Regarding Sibomana, the Burundian justice system initially found her guilty of false accusations. The decision was based on three investigation reports (conducted by the diocese, the Ministry of Education, and the prosecutor), which relied on testimonies clearing the priest. On June 27, 2023, a court sentenced her to five years in prison and a fine of five million Burundian francs (about $1,600).

Sibomana appealed the verdict, and the appeal court overturned the lower court’s decision, ruling that the offense was not substantiated. According to the Gitega appeal judges, the priest should have been prosecuted for the allegations before any legal action was taken against Sibomana to establish his innocence.

(Excerpt) Read more at international.la-croix.com ...

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To: ConservativeMind

2 posted on 10/18/2024 10:17:15 PM PDT by cherry

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