Injured Burundian human rights activist in Belgium for treatment

Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, Burundian human rights activist, shot on Aug. 3 at Bujumba, arrived Monday in Belgium for treatment, the Belga news agency reported.

Mbonimpa, who was one of the organizers of Burundi's protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza's third-term bid, arrived Monday aboard a Brussels Airlines flight, with his wife and his doctor son, the report said.

He had been the target of an attempted assassination on Aug. 3 when unknown motorcyclists fired on him, leaving him seriously wounded in the face.

The family of Mbonimpa, fearing for his safety, did not want him to remain in Burundi for treatment.

The activist was allowed to leave the country despite an open legal proceedings against him.

Since 2014, Mbonimpa has been pursued by the Burundian justice for allegedly endangering the security of the state. After four and a half months of preventive detention, he had been granted provisional liberty late September 2014 with the ban of leaving the country.

Belgium, since the lifting of the ban, proposed to host him.