Since October 1997 – for more than 13 years – the International Justice Committee for Thomas Sankara has called for judicial procedures to be launched in Burkina Faso around the assassination of Thomas Sankara. In the face of delays within the Burkinabe justice system, a procedure has also been launched at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (UNCHR).

In April 2006, the UNCHR – petitioned by the legal collective of the International Justice for Thomas Sankara Campaign (CIJS) on behalf of his family – supported these calls and called for the Burkinabe state to clarify the circumstances around the assassination of Thomas Sankara, to offer impartial justice for the family, to correct his death certificate, to prove his place of burial, to compensate his family for the trauma suffered and to publically reveal the verdict of the committee.

On 21 April 2008, the UNCHR – completely contradicting the previous decision – closed the case without initiating an investigation.

A new initiative was launched in October 2009 to call for genetic fingerprinting of the body in the tomb believed to be Thomas Sankara’s. The state rejected the call.

Running in parallel with these efforts within the Burkinabe justice system, there are press articles and testimonies pointing towards France’s responsibility in the assassination.

In December a group of organisations is launching a new campaign called ‘Justice for Thomas Sankara, Justice for Africa’, supported by a call for the opening of archives from several countries, including France. This call has been signed by some 6,600 people and has already received the backing of many figures and associations of various countries. In France this includes the NPA, Les Verts Europe Ecologie, the PCF and the Parti de Gauche, along with numerous associations and other figures.

The letter calls for a parliamentary inquiry. It has already reached the presidents of the Senate, the National Assembly and various parliamentary groups. Those behind the petition have begun steps with particular French parliamentarians to make a call for an official parliamentary report, the first stage towards an ultimate parliamentary inquiry.

This letter, dated 26 April 2011 and under the auspices of the leader of the opposition Benéwendé Sankara (president of the UNIR PS and the Sankara family lawyer), has been signed by 12 MPs from different parties. Among the signatures are Arba Diallo, second in the last presidential elections in Burkina Faso with 8 per cent of the vote, with Benéwendé Sankara coming third with 6 per cent.

The French parliament must now face up to its responsibilities. Approving such an inquiry would be a clear gesture of friendship towards the Burkinabe people, who have risen up for some two and a half months against the current regime, especially the youth, among whom Thomas Sankara remains very popular.

Here you will find a list of links for the all of the documents related to the Thomas Sankara case and the struggle for truth and the end of impunity in Burkina Faso.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* This statement was originally published in French on thomassankara.net.
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