Pierre Claver Mbonimpa is a Burundian human rights activist known for his work against torture and defending the rights of prisoners. He served as a police officer in Burundi until December 1994, when he was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison on false accusations, suffering torture and inhumane treatment during his imprisonment. Upon his release, Mbonimpa founded the Burundian Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons (APRODH). In 2014, he was imprisoned for five months after criticizing the regime of Pierre Nkurunziza during a radio interview. In 2015, he was shot and seriously wounded as he walked home from work. In separate incidents, both his son-in-law and son were killed after being arrested in pro-democracy protests against Nkurunziza’s attempt to force an unconstitutional third term. Mbonimpa fled into exile and works remotely with APRODH, tracking arrests, kidnappings, and extrajudicial killings of civilians. He is the recipient of the 2007 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
