Online safety & content laws in Burundi (2026)

Law No. 1/10 of 16 March 2022 is the primary statute governing online content. Article 42 imposes 5–10 years' penal servitude and fines of 5–10 million BIF for disseminating online rumours capable of causing fear, uprising or violence — a provision widely criticised as a tool for suppressing digital dissent.

The National Communication Council (CNC) regulates online media under the 2013 Media Law (updated 2024) and requires online news agencies to register. In March 2025 the CNC suspended the youth online platform Yaga Burundi and several other digital broadcasters for alleged non-compliance, demonstrating active enforcement against online publishers.

A revised press law enacted in July 2024 partially decriminalised press offences by removing custodial sentences for insults and harmful allegations, yet defamation and insult online remain subject to fines and the broader cybercrime law still carries criminal penalties for online speech.

Burundi has no standalone data-protection statute; sectoral provisions in telecommunications, banking and health laws impose limited confidentiality obligations. No platform-liability or notice-and-takedown regime analogous to the EU DSA or comparable frameworks has been enacted.

Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2025 report and Reporters Without Borders both document pervasive self-censorship online, with journalists convicted for social-media posts (e.g., journalist Sandra Muhoza sentenced to 21 months over WhatsApp group posts). RSF ranked Burundi 119th out of 180 countries in its 2026 Press Freedom Index.

Burundi participates in EAC/IGAD-led discussions on harmonising regional cybersecurity, data-governance and digital-trade rules supported by the World Bank's EARDIP initiative, but no resulting regional instrument has been transposed into domestic law as of May 2026.