Four of them, the youngest of whom was 13, were released, but the remaining three were formally charged on March 18 with "insulting the head of state" which carries a jail sentence of up to five years.
(meta data) TITLE: Three Burundi schoolgirls face jail for doodling on President's photo - CNN (meta data) AUTHOR: Aanu Adeoye, CNN Breaking News # Three Burundi schoolgirls face jail for doodling on President's photo By Aanu Adeoye, CNN Updated 1:40 PM ET, Thu March 21, 2019 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza arrives at Schloss Bellevue presidential palace to meet with German President Joachim Gauck on December 12, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. (CNN)Three schoolgirls in Burundi spent the weekend in jail and are facing five years in prison for drawing on the President's face in their school books, Human Rights Watch told CNN. The girls, who are all minors, were arrested last week and were on Monday charged with 'insulting the head of state,' according to the human rights group. They are on remand while they await trial for drawing on President Pierre Nkurunziza's face during one of their classes, Lewis Mudge, the Central Africa Director at Human Rights Watch told CNN. 4/5 This is not the first time children are targeted with political repression in Burundi. In 2016 authorities also arrested schoolchildren for doodling on images of Nkurunziza.https://t.co/uUQKVElFcK pic.twitter.com/D0uGNTC7KV — Lewis Mudge (@LewisMudge) March 20, 2019 A 13-year-old girl was released for being below the age of criminal responsibility while four others arrested alongside the schoolgirls were released. Mudge said textbooks in Burundi's school system are often passed in between classes and it is, therefore, difficult to know who scribbled on the President's image in the first place. Read More"It's ridiculous that we're at a point where we even have to ask or interject this point in a conversation. These are schoolgirls that are being detained," he said. CNN was not immediately able to reach the Burundi government for comment on the case. School children in Burundi have previously been jailed in the past for similar offenses. Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza wins third termIn 2016 , agents of the National Intelligence Service of Burundi arrested eight secondary school students for allegedly insulting Nkurunziza by writing phrases like "Get out" or "No to the 3rd term" on a picture of the President in a textbook, according to Human Rights Watch. The same year, hundreds of children were expelled from several schools for scribbling on the President's face in their books. President Nkurunziza, who has been in office since 2005, was re-elected to a third term in 2015 despite massive protests and concerns over the legality of running beyond his second term. But Burundi's constitutional court ruled that he was eligible because he was picked by parliament, not elected by people, during his first term. Scores died in the violence that marred the 2015 vote. Burundi President registers to run for third term despite clashes Human Rights Watch said the case was "quickly becoming the benchmark for a crackdown of freedom of expression since 2015."The organization added that it would apply pressure on the government of Burundi to release the girls. He said the students in 2016 were released after pressure from the international community following their initial conviction. "Burundi used to be the benchmark in the region for freedom of expression and association, but ever since the president decided to change the constitution to run for a third mandate," Mudge said.'When he saw the backlash against that, the response from the president has been to crackdown and limit the space of dissent."He added: "We're seeing the consequence of that play out and frankly this case is ridiculous. "Just weeks ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the agency was forced to shut its local office of 23 years under concerted pressure from the Burundian government. (meta data) TITLE: Burundi schoolgirls freed after being detained for doodling on President's photo - CNN (meta data) AUTHOR: Aanu Adeoye, CNN Breaking News # Burundi schoolgirls freed after being detained for doodling on President's photo By Aanu Adeoye, CNN Updated 2:07 PM ET, Wed March 27, 2019 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, here in 2012, is in his third term in office after facing large protests. (CNN)The Burundi schoolgirls detained for drawing on a photo of President Pierre Nkurunziza in their schoolbooks have been freed, a Human Rights Watch official told CNN on Wednesday. Human Rights Watch Central Africa director Lewis Mudge said the three girls were freed from Ngozi Central Prison two days after Justice Minister Aimée Laurentine Kanyana told state broadcaster RTNB that their provisional release had been approved. Three Burundi schoolgirls face jail for doodling on President's photoThe schoolgirls were charged March 18 with "insulting the head of state" and faced up to five years in jail if they were convicted. CNN was not immediately able to reach the Burundi government for comment on the case. The schoolgirls' detention led to international condemnation of the Burundian government, with critics showing their support for the girls on social media with crudely drawn images of Nkurunziza and the hashtag #FreeOurGirls. Read MoreThe girls, who are all minors, are part of an initial group of seven arrested earlier this month in Kirundo province in the northeastern part of the African nation. 4/5 This is not the first time children are targeted with political repression in Burundi. In 2016 authorities also arrested schoolchildren for doodling on images of Nkurunziza.https://t.co/uUQKVElFcK pic.twitter.com/D0uGNTC7KV — Lewis Mudge (@LewisMudge) March 20, 2019 A 13-year-old girl was released for being below the age of criminal responsibility, while three others also were let go. Schoolchildren in Burundi have been jailed before over similar offenses. Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza wins third termIn 2016 , agents of the National Intelligence Service of Burundi arrested eight secondary school students for allegedly insulting Nkurunziza by writing phrases such as "Get out" or "No to the 3rd term" on a picture of him in a textbook, according to Human Rights Watch. That same year, hundreds of children were expelled from schools for scribbling on the President's face in their books. Nkurunziza, who has been in office since 2005, was re-elected to a third term in 2015 despite massive protests and concerns over the legality of running beyond his second term. But Burundi's Constitutional Court ruled he was eligible because he was picked by Parliament, not elected by people, during his first term. Scores died in the violence that marred the 2015 vote. Burundi President registers to run for third term despite clashes Members of the ruling party's youth wing "have killed, arbitrarily arrested, abducted, beaten, raped, and intimidated real and perceived political opponents with impunity," Human Rights Watch's Mudge wrote last week. "Authorities should focus on holding perpetrators of serious rights violations to account instead of jailing schoolchildren for doodles. "In early March, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the agency was forced to shut its local office of 23 years under concerted pressure from the Burundian government.
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Human rights in Burundi
2010 Elections.
This practice rendered the 2010 elections particularly volatile. As polls closed in June, it was reported that "the voting was held against the backdrop of daily grenade blasts that threatened to push the country back into civil strife", and that political freedom was severely compromised. The Burundian non-governmental organization (NGO) Commission Episcopale et Paix documented a range of violations during the elections, including campaigning before the legally authorized campaign period, assassinations, arbitrary arrests, verbal confrontations, fraud, restrictions on the right to free assembly, bribery, and hiring and firing based on political affiliation. At least six political parties had committed offenses, but the ruling CNDD-FDD was cited as most frequently responsible. In the wake of the elections (which the incumbent CNDD-FDD and President Pierre Nkurunziza won after the opposition pulled out), reciprocal killings were perpetrated by the government against the former rebel group, and its main opposition rival, the Hutu FNL. 
 While freedom of speech is constitutionally guaranteed, Freedom House noted several instances during and after the election where journalists had been targeted for criticizing the government. This included arbitrary arrests, threats, detainment, and beatings. Consequently, in 2011 Burundi was given the press status of 'Not Free' by the NGO. In March 2019, seven minor schoolgirls were arrested for doodling on a portrait of President Nkurunziza's face in their schoolbooks.