Burkina Appeals Court Dismisses Charges In Journalist Nobert Zongo's Murder
By Yankuba Jambang-Associate Editor
A
Burkina Faso appeals court has upheld the decision of the investigating
judge and dropped all charges in the 1998 execution style murder of an
investigative journalist, Mr Nobert Zongo.
According to Reporters Without Borders'
Africa Press Release, the appeals court denied Zongo family's appeal
against the ruling, saying the "investigating judge did his job well."
Zongo's family reportedly brought the appeal against investigating
judge, Wenceslas who dismissed charges against Marcel Kafando (a
Presidential Security Battalion) personnel and an un-named accomplice
who allegedly murdered Zongo and three others on December 13, 1998. Reporters Without Borders
lamented the the appeals court decision saying : " we call on judge
Ilboudo to admit he yielded to irresistible political pressure that
ended up making his work impossible..."
Nobert
Zongo was murdered while investigating a murder case that was believed
to have involved some presidential security officers including Marcel
Kafando.
Freedomnewspaper.com joins other human
rights organizations around the world in condemning the appeals court decision in Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso: A
west African country; borders with Mali and Niger to the North, Benin
to the East, Ghana and Ivory Coast to the South. The country became
independent on August 5, 1960. Burkina has had 5 military coup d'etas
between 1966 and 1987 and it's one of the world's poorest countries!
The present head of state Blaise Campaore seized power in a bloody coup
on October 15, 1987.