After more than ten months in detention, Burundian journalist Sandra Muhoza has left her cell. Sentenced last January to four years in prison , she was granted provisional release effective Wednesday, March 5, 2026.

A worrying state of health

Working for the online media outlet La Nova Burundi , the journalist appeared very frail during her trial last December. Suffering from a herniated disc , she appeared before the Ngozi court using a crutch.

The release order, signed by the Ngozi prosecutor's office on February 27, finally allowed him to return home this Wednesday afternoon, information confirmed by his relatives and his legal counsel.

A reminder of the facts and accusations

Sandra Muhoza was arrested in April 2024. The Burundian justice system accused her of two major charges:

1. Violation of the integrity of the national territory.
2. Racial aversion.

These charges were based on messages shared within a private WhatsApp group . According to the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the journalist had simply relayed information concerning a distribution of weapons by the authorities.

An alarming sign for press freedom

The RSF organization, which has actively denounced "fabricated accusations," points out the precarious situation of the media in the country:

"This conviction reveals the authorities' true intentions: to continue to treat journalism as a crime."

Some key figures:

1. 125th rank: Burundi's place out of 180 countries in the world press freedom ranking.
2. Unique case: Until her release, Sandra Muhoza was presented by RSF as the only female journalist arbitrarily detained in sub-Saharan Africa.