A trio of human rights experts from the United Nations Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) assessed the human rights situation in Burundi during a second visit to this country from 13 to 17 June 2016.

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The members of the UNIIB are Ms Maya Sahli-Fadel (Algeria), the African Union Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons; Professor Pablo de Greiff (Colombia), the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-recurrence; and Prof Christof Heyns (South Africa), the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions and Director of the Institute for International Comparative Law in the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria.  Prof Heyns, who also chairs the UNIIB, recently received the Don and Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award from The Advocates for Human Rights and is South Africa's candidate for election to the 2017 United Nations Human Rights Committee.

The UNIIB was established by the Human Rights Council on 17 December 2015 (resolution A/HRC/S-24/1) to undertake 'an investigation into violations and abuses of human rights with a view to preventing further deterioration of the human rights situation'. These experts will present their final reports to the United Nations Human Rights Council during its 33rd session in September 2016. The Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body within the United Nations system and is made up of 47 states responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.