Religion Provisions of the Burundi Constitution (2005)

One of my current research projects involves analysis of the religion provisions of various constitutions enacted since the year 2000. From time to time on this blog, I'll post extracts of those provisions arranged according to categories such as "Religious Freedom" (guarantee of individual rights), "Established Religion" (joining religion and government), "Establishment Clause" (separating religion and government), "Ceremonial Deism" (symbolic references to religion that have little or no legal effect), "Equal Protection of Religion" (non-discrimination guarantees), "Preamble", "Religious Education", and "Religious Limitations".


Here are the religion provisions of the 2005 Constitution of the small, land-locked African country Burundi; rough translations from the French are mine.


Source:  Association of Constitutional Courts of French-Speaking Countries
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Establishment  Clause

Article 1  Le Burundi est une République indépendance, souveraine, laïque, démocratique, unitaire et respectant sa diversité ethnique et religieuse.  ["Article 1:  Burundi is an independent Republic, sovereign, secular, democratic, and unified that is respectful of ethnic and religious diversity."]

Equal Protection of Religion

Article 13  Aucun burundais ne sera exclu de la vie sociale, économique ou politique de la nation du fait de sa race, de sa langue, de sa religion, de son sexe ou de son origine ethnique.  ["Article 13:  No Burundians shall be excluded from the social, economic, or political life of the nation because of their race, language, religion, sex, or ethnic origin."

Article 22  Nul ne peut être l’objet de discrimination du fait notamment de son origine, de sa race, de son ethnie, de son sexe, de sa couleur, de sa langue, de sa situation sociale, de ses convictions religieuses, philosophiques ou politiques ou du fait d’un handicap physique ou mental ou du fait d’être porteur du VIH/SIDA ou toute autre maladie incurable.  ["Article 22:  No one shall be the object of discrimination due to race, ethnicity, sex, color, language, social situation, religious, philosophical, or political beliefs, physical or mental handicap, HIV/AIDS, or other incurable disease."]

Religious Freedom

Article 31  L’Etat respecte la liberté de religion  ["Article 21:  The State respects freedom of religion."]