Burundi court partially acquits jailed journalist after two years

A Burundian appeals court has partially acquitted journalist Sandra Muhoza, ending her nearly two years in detention and allowing her to go free.

Africanews reported on April 14 that the Ngozi Court of Appeal issued the ruling on April 13. RSF said the court handed down a six-month sentence for racial aversion, a term that had already been served, effectively freeing Muhoza.

Muhoza, who works for La Nova Burundi, was arrested in April 2024. Her case has drawn sustained attention from press-freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and RSF.

The case centers on allegations tied to information she shared in a journalists' WhatsApp group, including claims about weapons distribution. Earlier proceedings had already led to a conviction and later a provisional release order in March 2026.

The latest ruling matters because it ends a detention that had become a symbol of the pressures facing journalists in Burundi. It also leaves open whether authorities will pursue any further appeal or related proceedings.

For now, the immediate outcome is clear: after two years, Muhoza is no longer in detention.