BURKINA FASO: Three years of impunity for journalist Norbert Zongo's killers

IFEX- News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT UPDATE - BURKINA FASO

12 December 2001

Three years of impunity for journalist Norbert Zongo's killers; RSF holds
the authorities responsible for the fate of Marcel Kafando, the only person
jailed in connection with the case

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

**New case and update to IFEX alerts of 16, 12 and 11 October, 1 May, 5
April, 30 and 9 March and 6 February 2001, 19, 18 and 7 December, 22 and 16
August and 19 April 2000, 17, 7 and 1 December, 22 September, 9 July, 7 May
and 18 January 1999, 22, 16 and 15 December 1998**

(RSF/IFEX) - Three years ago, on 13 December 1998, Norbert Zongo, director
of the weekly newspaper "L'Indépendant", was murdered on a road in southern
Burkina Faso. RSF is stunned that the investigation is not progressing. The
people behind the murder have not been troubled, thereby reinforcing the
feeling that the justice system in Burkina Faso is seriously flawed.
Impunity still reigns in the "land of honest men", despite the authorities'
declarations to the contrary. François Compaoré, the president's brother,
who has been deeply implicated in the affair, has only been questioned once
by the investigating magistrate. This was in January 2001, more than two
years after the journalist's assassination.

Moreover, RSF is very concerned about the health of warrant officer Marcel
Kafando, the only person to be arrested in connection with the case to date.
He is being held at the Ouadadougou Detention and Correction Centre. This
non-commissioned officer in the Presidential Security Regiment (Régiment de
la sécurité présidentielle, RSP) is a key individual in the current
investigation. Were Marcel Kafando to die today, the investigating
magistrate would have to close the case for lack of sufficient evidence to
trace the order of responsibility in the journalist's killing. Should this
happen, RSF would hold Burkina Faso's authorities responsible for the total
impunity that has characterised the affair.

RSF has written to the lead magistrate in the investigation, Wenceslas
Ilboudo, asking for permission to visit Kafando and have him examined by an
independent doctor selected by the organisation. On several occasions, the
judge has stated that his work has been slowed by the soldier's poor health.
In February, the warrant officer was arrested for "murder" and "willful
arson" by General Prosecutor Abdoulaye Barry, in the context of the Zongo
case.

Furthermore, the organisation has asked the authorities to disclose the
preliminary conclusions of the investigation into the death of Michel Congo,
a journalist from the daily "24 Heures". Congo was killed at his home on 21
October. Several theories have been put forth. The journalist's death has
been described as everything from a vulgar crime to a political
assassination. The local press and local human rights organisations have
called for the creation of an independent commission of inquiry. The
authorities must quickly demonstrate their true determination to shed light
on this new case.

BACKGROUND:
Zongo was the director of the weekly "L'Indépendant". He and three
companions were found burned to death in his car on 13 December 1998. This
date proved to be the starting point for a wave of protests throughout the
country. Since then, several dozen demonstrations have taken place in
Ouagadougou and the country's other main cities. On 7 May 1999, an
independent commission of inquiry responsible for "determining the causes of
[Zongo's] death" submitted its report to the country's prime minister. The
commission, which was set up by the authorities, questioned over two hundred
people. It concluded that, "concerning the motive for this quadruple
murder..., the investigations carried out for years by the journalist must
be examined closely, in particular his recent investigation of the death of
David Ouedraogo, the chauffeur of presidential advisor François Compaoré"
and the head of state's brother. The report also listed the names of six
"serious suspects" in the affair, who are all members of the Presidential
Security Regiment.

For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.rsf.fr

The information contained in this alert update is the sole responsibility of
RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
RSF.
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