For Geneviève
Zongo, every December 13 revives excruciating memories of the loss of her
husband Norbert Zongo,
editor of the weekly L'Indépendant. He was
assassinated in 1998 while investigating the murder of a driver
working at Burkina Faso's presidential palace. More painful still is that the killers
who ambushed Zongo's car, riddling it with bullets and torching it, have never been
brought to justice.
Early on this anniversary morning, as has become her ritual,
Geneviève Zongo attended a prayer service at her local church in the capital,
Ouagadougou, and headed home, she told me. She said she no longer visits Gounghin
Cemetery, where her
husband's remains are buried. She sends her two
sons, Benjamin, 13, and Constant, 20, to pay respects. "Constant
never knew his father. He was barely a year old when [Norbert] was killed," she
told me. Buried in the same cemetery are the Zongo's brother and two companions, passengers in journalist's car on that
tragic December 1998 night.
To revive
the fading memories of Zongo and renew the struggle against impunity,
friends, companions, colleagues, and supporters commemorated the day with a
series of public events across the city. After a wreath-laying ceremony at the cemetery, participants
gathered in front of the city's trade union center for a public forum
discussing the unsolved case, Abdoulaye Diallo, head of the Norbert Zongo National Press Center
told me.
Zongo
was killed while he was reporting on the torture and murder of David Ouédraogo,
a driver assigned to François Compaoré, the president's brother and a top aide.
"With all the public, we have this thirst for justice, for truth which has not
yet been established," President Blaise Compaoré declared in a December 2008
interview with the daily Sidwaya. But he added: "We have had the
impression that a lot of politicization has been made on issues that should
really pertain to the judicial system."
In
fact, efforts to purse a thorough, transparent investigation have been
frustrated by political pressure from Compaoré's government--including the harassment of journalists
and activists
who have called for justice, according to CPJ research. Shortly after Zongo's murder,
a "commission of inquiry" named six officers of the Presidential Guard
Regiment as prime suspects. But the examining magistrate in charge of the case,
Wenceslas Ilboudo, indicted only one person and then dropped
the case entirely in 2006.
The only man indicted was Marcel Kafando, who was convicted in the killing
of driver Ouédraogo.
Kafando died in 2009, as
have two other suspects, according to Diallo. Abdoulaye Barry, the state prosecutor
at the time, said the Zongo case would not be reopened until "new developments
useful to the manifestation of truth" turned up, according to news reports. Barry
was named a presidential adviser in July
2009.
On Monday, local musicians,
including Obscur Jaffar,
Sana
Bob, Sams'K le Jah, and Smockey,
had the last words with a rendition of their 2008 tribute song "Artistes
Unis pour Norbert Zongo." Le Jah, whose real name is Karim
Sama, has received numerous death threats referencing
the Zongo murder for his advocacy. Nevertheless, he told CPJ
the artists were planning a series of awareness-raising forum in 2011 to raise
awareness of youth about the case.
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It is very sad that innocent lives like that of Zongo,can be nib in the bud for thisd long(13) years without the criminals brought to book. This can only happen on the continent of Africa, i stand to be corrected.
It was bare only 7 years later that Deyda Hydara was also killed in the Gambia in the same month of December 2004, and its 6 years nobody is brought to justice.
What a world of injustices.
if there is no political will to investigate the killing of journalists,it is because the politicians themselves are part and parcel of the killings.
In Africa the leaders are still left all by themself to do whatever they want, and they are never brought to justice.
The case of Deydda Hydara is one of the most sorrowful one.
He served all his life for freedom and justice for the Gambian people.After being brutally murdered, there is not even a
memorial day on his name in his country.
Anytime i see his name i get frustrated and feel ashame as a Gambian, as an African
It is horrible
the death of zongo has boosted the freedom of press in many countries. In senegal, after Wade arrive in power, he let a lot of senegalese do what anyone was expecting. Opening private radios, newspaper..etc
In Burkina faso , there is more than 130 radio fm in Ouagadougou. The online news and blogs are becoming more and more popular. http://burkina24.com for example in the image of france24 is trying to produce news 24/7 and even the weekend.
It is to say that things are changing and i believe cpj can say it sometime