Burundi radio host arrested after airing confession of man who said he killed Italian missionary nun
January 21, 2015
Police in Burundi have arrested the host of a popular radio show, after he aired the confession of a man who said he had been involved in the murder of three Italian missionary nuns last year.
The three Xaverian sisters were killed last September. Police quickly arrested a suspect, and reported that he had confessed. But Church officials expressed concern that the police had concocted an inaccurate explanation to avert a wider investigation. “We do not believe in the police’s version,” a Xaverian representative said.
Bob Rugurika, a host of the independent Radio Publique Africaine, complicated the situation when he broadcast the confession of another man, who said that he had killed one of the nuns. Police quickly insisted the Rugurika identify the man who gave that confession, and he refused.
Rugurika now faces a charge of “complicity” in the killings, and could face a 20-year prison term if convicted.
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Further information:
- Radio boss arrested over Italian nuns' murder (AFP)
- Xaverian missionaries doubt police explanation for nuns' murder in Burundi (CWN, 9/11/14)
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