PRESS RELEASE
Finally! The Thomas Sankara assassination trial will open on 11 October 2021.
After years of waiting and despairing, the families of the victims, their lawyers, the people of Burkina Faso, whose insurrection in 2014 was a decisive factor in opening the enquiry and the international social movements, of which we are a part, celebrate the start of the trial of those accused of the assassination of President Thomas Sankara and his fellow victims.
Nevertheless, we reproach the Burkinabe authorities attempts to negotiate conditions of return with Blaise Compaore (the principal accused). Currently living in Ivory Coast and subject to an International Arrest Warrant. He should be extradited without further conditions!
Furthermore, we also regret that the inquiry into the international plot that lead to the coup d’État is incomplete through the lack of frank collaboration between the countries thought to be concerned. [1] We recall our demand that the French authorities keep the promise made by Emmanuel Macron that all the pertinent documents in this case, including those considered national secrets be transmitted to the Burkina Faso authorities.
Neither have United States authorities accepted to collaborate with Burkina Faso authorities on an implication of US secret services. [2]
We demand that Ivory Coast, Liberian, Malien and Togolese authorities transmit all documents in their possession relevant to this affair to the Burkinabe authorities in order to define the roles of the different States and so advance the course of justice. We call on the Human Rights organisations in these countries to press their governments to collaborate with the Burkina Faso justice authorities.
Only a part of the way toward truth and justice has yet been achieved. We therefore call on all the persons and organizations in their respective countries to continue to press for Justice for THOMAS SANKARA.
Signed in Ouagadougou, Dakar, Bamako, Paris, Barcelona, Las Palmas, Ottawa, Turin, Albany (USA), Marseille, Montpellier, Nîmes, Toulouse, Sabadell (Catalonia), 20 august 2021
The International Justice Network for Thomas Sankara and his companions, justice for Africa.
Footnotes
[1] As was indicated by some Burkinabe soldiers who witnessed the removal of possibly compromising telephone conversation recordings of Blaise Compaore and Jean-Pierre Palm that may have implicated them in the affair.
[2] RAI Ombre Africane (2009); Silvestro Montanaro Italie, RAI3, 15 July 2009
