The Sankara affair: A new denial of justice, mobilisation continues
Once again the process of authenticating the tomb of Sankara ends in a denial of justice. The reality of Burkina Faso is that Blaise Campaore is the sole and veritable judge in this affair. And he panics each time the issue comes up, afraid that he himself might be charged, just as he panics at the idea of being sued for his role in the wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and la Côte d’Ivoire.
On 30 April 2014, the High Court of Ouagadougou declared that it was not competent to order that DNA expertise be used in the identification of the bodies buried at Dagnoen.
We received that decision with sadness, disappointment, anger; and henceforth it is revolt and rage that overwhelm us. That decision was also the response to a request made by the lawyers of the family on the 2nd of February 2011. It therefore took three long years for the judges to declare their incompetence! Again, the first quest for justice by the family dates as far back as 1997.
The reality of Burkina Faso is that Blaise Campaore is the sole and veritable judge in the Sankara affair. He panics each time the issue comes up, afraid of being himself charged just as he panics at the idea of indictment for his roles in the wars in the region: in Liberia, Sierra Leone and La Côte d’Ivoire. This is why all the legal processes initiated in Burkina Faso on the assassination of Thomas Sankara have been blocked.
But the Sankara family has the right to gather and meditate on a tomb authenticated as that of the deceased President Thomas Sankara. The Sankara family, the families of his collaborators assassinated with him, the people of Africa, and all the political heirs of Thomas Sankara are today demanding for truth and justice.
The Burkinabe people have decided this time to rise up and put an end to the decadent regime of Blaise Campaore. This final judicial decision, after the African tribunal for human rights declared Burkina Faso guilty of numerous shortcomings on the investigation of the assassination of the journalist Norbert Zongo, has tarnished even more the image of his regime while the Burkinabe population, including some personalities who have hitherto been very close to the president, are demanding his departure.
Strengthened by 13600 signatures already obtained (see http://www.thomassankara.net/spip.php?article866), of the support of tens of associations and political parties throughout the world, we continue more than ever to demand that justice be rendered and that an independent international commission of inquiry be set up immediately, as we can no longer count on Burkinabe justice. Moreover, numerous witnesses speak of the connivance of France, of the CIA, of some neighbouring countries in the international conspiracy that is this assassination.
This is why we are requesting furthermore:
The members of the American congress to demand that their country’s archives of the time in question be opened and that an investigation be launched on the eventual involvement of the CIA.
French parliamentarians to accept the demand for parliamentary inquiry on the assassination of Thomas Sankara submitted twice to the National Assembly of the French Republic on 20 June 2011 and on 5 October 2012, and to insist on the opening of the archives that would enhance the advancement of the search for the truth.
We do not want to wait any longer!
We again call on the citizens, political parties and civil society organisations to heighten the campaign through new public initiatives.
For the truth to finally come out on the assassination of Thomas Sankara, we again call on:
Journalists to launch into investigations;
Historians to commit to newer research;
Documentarians to produce new films;
Public opinion to raise the pressure up a notch.
The hour of justice is approaching. Let us hurry thither together!