Criminal
The 2017 Penal Code, with abolished capital punishment
The Penal Code of 2017 replaced the 2009 code, which had abolished the death penalty. The 2009 code also criminalised same-sex relations for the first time, a provision retained in 2017, and the Criminal Procedure Code was revised in 2018.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunaux de grande instance and Cours d'appel try offences; the Cour suprême reviews.
- Deadline — Garde à vue: 7 days maximum before presentation to a magistrate
- Deadline — Appeal: 30 days from judgment
Governing law
- Loi n° 1/27 du 29 décembre 2017 portant révision du Code pénal
- Loi n° 1/09 du 11 mai 2018 portant Code de procédure pénale
- Loi relative à la prévention et à la répression de la torture
In practice
The 2009 abolition of the death penalty was a genuine reform, but the same statute introduced criminal liability for same-sex conduct, which had not previously been an offence in Burundi — a reminder that recodification bundles liberalising and restricting changes together.