{"id":644305,"date":"2019-05-16T12:11:56","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T12:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"
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Burundi\u2019s chief justice has ordered the seizure of property belonging to jailed army officers and exiled opposition activists accused of supporting a supposed coup plot against President Pierre Nkurunziza.<\/p>\n

The order, signed late Tuesday, targets dozens of government critics accused of spearheading a failed challenge against Nkurunziza in May 2015, when he announced he would run for a controversial third term.<\/p>\n

The property and assets belonging to 32 opposition leaders and journalists in exile, and nine jailed military officers, should be \u201cexploited by the state\u201d, said the order co-signed by the Supreme Court chief justice and attorney general.<\/p>\n

Government critics said the ruling made a mockery of Burundi\u2019s judiciary and underscored the ongoing persecution meted out against the beleaguered political opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cPierre Nkurunziza and his henchmen continue the persecution of opponents of the 3rd mandate by seizing their property\u2026 a decision which once again ridicules the Burundian justice system,\u201d Vital Nshimirimana, one of the exiled opposition figures targeted in the order, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n

Burundi exploded into violence when Nkurunziza announced his candidacy in April 2015. He was re-elected in July of that year.<\/p>\n

The chaos that followed left at least 1,200 people dead, according to estimates by the International Criminal Court which has opened an investigation.<\/p>\n

More than 400,000 people fled the country, including journalists critical of the government and civil society activists.<\/p>\n

In May 2016, the Supreme Court sentenced 21 army officers allegedly involved in the failed coup against Nkurunziza to life in prison. A few months earlier, 17 other officers were jailed for five to 30 years over their role in the alleged plot.<\/p>\n

The main opposition party says dozens of its activists have been arrested this year alone in \u201cmanhunt\u201d that has seen their meetings shutdown and leaders harassed.<\/p>\n

Burundi\u2019s independent media were among the most flourishing in the region until the 2015 crisis, when several radio and television stations were destroyed and about 100 journalists forced into exile.<\/p>\n

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