part of. your story you are trying always to understand this new code for. all you are nothing to do with or not and yet you want to become a citizen. migrants your platform for reliable information. this is deja news africa coming up in the next fifteen minutes little indie take more steps to restrict criticism of president p. and c. sat has been isolated the international agencies who've been critical of his actions will hear from the un rights activists. and bring need constant attacks on people with albinism in malawi as the country prepares for a general election we'll hear from the campaign is demanding will. do them all.

i'm christine wonderwall come to news africa i'm glad you are today and but on days government has forced the u.n. human rights office in the country to close off to twenty three yes this is the latest step in what appears to be a crackdown on criticism by international observers the country's deepening political crisis began in twenty fifteen when president announced he would run for another disputed term that led to months of violence that the un has said killed more than one thousand two hundred people in twenty seventeen made history by becoming the first country to withdrawal from the international criminal court this year has already seen about thirty of the international n.g.o.s shut down their services in the east african country has the un human rights the explicit on the situation in. we have very credible reports of human rights. in abuses including

killings forced disappearances ill treatment arbitrary arrests and detentions threats and restrictions on the freedom of association expression and movement these are ongoing allegations that we are receiving from november two thousand and sixteen until september two thousand and eighteen. our office received at least eleven thousand and fifty so that's eleven zero five zero allegations of arbitrary arrests and detentions in burundi all right us maj is central africa director for human rights watch and he joins me now from he's home in vermont i lewis welcome to news africa why is. cracking down on human rights groups in this way. well this is this is a trend that has been emerging in since two thousand and fifteen. has been a protracted crisis now coming on to four years and human rights groups

historically both a lively vibrant civil society that used to exist in the country and groups such as human rights watch used to have a real role in trying to guide the government on policy human rights abuses i think it's important to note that up until two thousand and fifteen in terms of civil society in terms of media and in terms of human rights organizations was a real beacon for the region. an example put forward for freedom of expression freedom of association and despite major problems in the country in terms of arbitrary detention torture and killing things these groups still have the space within which to work that all change in twenty fifteen there was an attempted coup . the president has been increasingly more and more isolated and with that come down on anyone who seeks to to

do any type of investigations or indiana reporting so sadly this is just part of a trend and unfortunately in our opinion and we don't think this trend is going to be changed anytime soon i think the government is becoming more and more. as we move into a period all right yet no i mean you've spent twelve years on this continent right when we talk about organizations such as yours snoozing access to a country like this is there still some way you are able to monitor what's going on in a given country or does that really just mean use the visibility. well we certainly do lose a degree of his ability to be clear the last time human rights watch has worked in two thousand and sixteen since then it's been difficult for us to gain access to the country so to a degree it is more difficult however that certainly doesn't mean that we stop work on the country the fact of the matter is that technology has made it a lot easier to access people in the country without limited surveillance

capabilities on the part of the government so we use what you signal but more importantly you must remember that there are hundreds of thousands of burundians who have fled the country and who continue to flee the country on a daily basis they go countries such as tanzania rwanda or the d.r. sitting in uganda with our regional teams we are able to continue to keep an eye on the situation of the city these refugees who are coming out with fresh information regarding state oppression and killings and people being obliged to both donate and join the ruling. party all right us what does the international community do. look burundi was in twenty fifteen twenty sixteen to really kind of got back on the agenda for the united nations and it's vital that ruby maintain its place in the public eye at every occasion really should be reminded that this type of this type of behavior france is not acceptable is certainly shouldn't have

a seat on the human rights council and you know international donors and international partners of burundi should reminded that it really needs to take a step back to where it was in the twenty a level twenty twenty thirteen period it's not to say that things were going swimmingly then there were problems then but there was a type of a political space and there was a space for free association and free expression so it really is going to be in the burden remains on international partners to keep this country in the focus especially as we move into these electoral periods all right louis my central africa director for human rights watch thank you thank you on next story takes us to malawi which as you know launched a crackdown on superstition announcing it will offer cash rewards of up to seven thousand u.s. dollars for information about abductions and killing of people with albinism the move comes in response to growing anger of

a government's lack of action on the issue that's off to a recent spate of attacks on people with albinism which is a genetic order that causes a lack of pigmentation in the skin eyes and hey they have long been targeted in malawi and other african countries have believe that they have body parts can be used in witchcraft to increase well amongst other things. they say young girl might never see her brother again she's afraid he's been murdered because like her he was born with albinism. he was abducted from their home in central malawi three weeks ago the family fear the attackers could return. i'm worried about my daughter's safety. who. i don't know how i'm going to protect them. i'm really worried don't move there. the u.n. says one hundred fifty people with albinism in malawi have been attacked abducted

or killed in the last five years. and if there were no one that. people with albinism in malawi have no peace and were not protected devoted. following the boy's abduction in february demonstrators took their concerns to the streets of malawi's deads a district calling on the thirty's to address the issue. so far the response has been slow you know if you look. this story here in our troops. in tanzania. of the victims of the crime the evil practice has gone way down perhaps the same could work here it could be. in an attempt to curb the killings the government is now offering

a generous reward for information about attacks on people with albinism but some people say the move doesn't go far enough. ok deborah was in which hannah is regional director for amnesty international in southern africa he joins me now from johannesburg mr much and it's good to have you on welcome to news africa we know that attacks on people with albinism in malawi typically tend to spike around an election period and election is coming up in may what's what is behind that. thank you very much for having me is generally true that there are moments in which a tux ticket spike and election mormons are one of them because of the existence of a deep seated culture of false beliefs that bourne's on body parts of a person with albinism give you lucky charms but there is a general problem in the country often talks of people are going to. people with albinism discrimination and deep seated feelings that the commune our justice

system is failing so there is a culture of impunity to sawyer at all times you are likely to find abductions killings in the talks so it might not necessarily be a good elections but it's a general problem that requires decisive leadership all right and speaking about decisive leadership we're hearing some rumblings in the malawian government some ministers considering the death penalty for people who kill people with albinism what do you make of that. or kill people who kill people to do most of the killing of people in his bed i think the idea that if you impose the death penalty you in this suddenly vanish and disappear the program off systematic discrimination deep seated attacks and killings of persons with albinism his followers as you normally sort of national is opposed to the death penalty for crimes and believes that in my law we had these enough tools in the criminal justice system to work with us in

order to ensure that this problem has disappeared in twenty sixteen when we did face to reporting the country and we were with the government to ensure that there were legislative reforms on the anatomy act as well as the panel court but what has not happened is the slow pace of justice yet the absence of investigative in the absence of skills within the police to do d.n.a. testing as well as simply so that you are able to ensure that kind committed in various parts of the this can come together and be limited once and for all right yet you have to add i mean amnesty to that has come out about two reports on this in malawi the most recent being last to get loaded to the twenty sixteen one but has culminated from that work. one of those wiki has resulted in good to awareness about the human rights of persons with albinism across the country because we've mounted a huge human rights education campaign together with as was the issue of persons

with albinism the un country team and the civic bodies but we also have seen legislative changes and they are not limited to the pen or cord and provision of sun's congressional government all facilities what is not moved is the community justice system that it has not responded efficiently and would speak to ensure that those arrested taken through if it kept process and sentenced and impunity is will continue to reign people being killed in custody when they're undergoing investigations and the absence of social protection and security protection and safety these are the things that continue to create our hope and that we've now seen over the last two months at least the abductions killings of cases that have not been concluded and i'm looking for is to get so the government need to strengthen its criminal justice system and it needs to sit secure a social security protection of just seven thousand people are talking about

a huge population group right much and a regional director for amnesty international southern africa thank you. and that is it funny that begins africa well today the next time. enter the conflict zone fronting the powerful. my guest this week here in brussels is the belgian m.e.p. philippe lama who sits on the european parliament's rex's steering committee has the e.u. negotiated in good faith and is non-famous a unity of the twenty seven beginning to crack europe doesn't look like. conflicts of all. details. in two years this will be the european capital of culture but the ancient city of l.f. siena has lost its luster. it's currently home to

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important role in the future. of. the geopolitical stage starting munching on t.w. . there's less than a month to go before britain's shojo departure from the e.u. and the union is staking out its final positions on the terms of withdrawal my guest this week here in brussels is the belgian m.e.p. philippe lamberts who sits on the european parliament's recs it steering committee as the e.u. negotiated in good faith and there's that famous.