Released from Prison thanks to Restobu's Diligence

James, Ann and Lazarus

Meet Lazarus, a father of seven, and James, a father of four (names changed)—two men whose lives were shattered after spending 11 months in prison.

It all began in June 2024, as the two worked in a palm oil field. Lazarus owned the field, and James made his living by cutting palms there. That field was on a remote hill, far from where they lived. One fateful day, as they had gone to work in that field, Lazarus caught a man—someone they came to recognize from another colline—stealing from his field, cutting the fruit. He immediately called James to help, and together they apprehended the thief and brought him to the local administration.

But, before arriving there, the community, frustrated by past thefts which had been taking place, quickly surrounded them. The situation spiraled out of control, and Lazarus, who was going to hand the thief over to the local administration, was no longer able to control the anger of the people.

“A crowd formed. People started screaming, shouting that he was the one stealing from their homes too. Then they beat him—mercilessly,” Lazarus recalls.

The crowd attacked the thief so viciously that he was left barely clinging to life. And then, as death loomed, the same crowd vanished—disappearing into the shadows to avoid consequences.

“When they saw he might die, they all vanished, one by one. And then, the local authorities arrived,” Lazarus said bitterly. “He was in urgent need of hospital care while people were vanishing one by one—except me and James. They looked at me and said, ‘You’re the one whose property was robbed and who caught him—it’s your responsibility to take him to the hospital.’ I had no choice. I rented a motorbike and took him there.”

Lazarus and James took the man to the hospital on a motorbike, but it was too late. He died while still under treatment. That’s when their nightmare truly began.

“Right after he died, his family arrived at the hospital—with a police pickup truck,” Lazarus says, still shaking with disbelief. “They didn’t ask a single question. They handcuffed us immediately and dragged us off to the police prison.”

Lazarus was asked to pay all the hospital bills, morgue fees, and even burial expenses. The financial toll was devastating.

“They asked me to pay all the bills. Imagine—I paid 1,500,000 BIF for burial. It cost me everything,” he said. “Since I was in prison, my wife had to sell everything we owned—our livestock, our palm oil field—just to pay the bills, survive, send me food in prison, transport witnesses, and cover all the legal processes.”

His wife, Ann, was left to care for seven children—alone, hungry, and terrified.

“Imagine staying alone with seven kids,” Anne said, “I had to find money to feed them and send food to my husband in prison. I worked in other people’s rice fields just to make it through the day. I was exhausted. It was hell.”

Ann and her daughter peel sweet potatoes for their lunch.

Thankfully, Restobu identified their case and stepped in. Thanks to their relentless diligence, their hearing was finally scheduled. The first court date was postponed due to missing witnesses, but at the second hearing, even the accusers admitted they had finally come to know that the crowd was responsible for the death—not Lazarus or James.

After 11 months in prison, the court finally dropped all charges. Lazarus and James walked out of prison—free, but broken.

“Imagine waking up to work hard for your family and ending the day in a prison cell without doing anything wrong,” James said with anger and despair. “My kids dropped out of school. My wife could not take care of everything alone. The house I had hardly managed to build has collapsed. We’re renting a home again. My life has been reduced to rubble.”

Despite everything, James expresses gratitude to those who helped secure their freedom.

“God bless you. Without your help, we’d still be rotting in that cell.”

Lazarus looks at the goats his wife borrowed from their neighbor to get manure, after they were forced to sell their two cows, two goats, and one pig.

For Lazarus, coming home was surreal.

“When I walked through the door, it felt like a dream. But everything was gone. Two cows, two goats, a pig—gone. The sleeping room I was building to separate the kids? Abandoned. We have to start all over again,” he said. “If anyone can give me a goat or a cow, I’ll breed them. I just want a chance to rebuild.”

His wife, Ann, says that no matter how difficult things still are, having her husband back is what truly matters.

“I am very happy. I was alone for too long. God bless you for helping us. I don’t feel alone anymore.”

In its pursuit of justice, Restoration Burundi educates the public about the law through a radio program called "Araturaba" ("No one is supposed to ignore the law"), which is broadcast on four radio stations. The organization also provides legal assistance to vulnerable prisoners, sometimes offering buses for the transport of either judges or prisoners to facilitate the cases. So far hundreds of prisoners have received support through this initiative.