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Alert

Government official rejects RSF mission on journalist's death

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF letter to Burkina Faso Security
Minister Djibrill Bassolé, further to his refusal to allow an RSF follow-up
mission of inquiry into circumstances surrounding the December 1998 death of
journalist Norbert Zongo:





**Updates IFEX alerts of 7 May and 18 January 1999, 22, 16 and 15 December
1998**

Mr. Djibrill Bassolé
Minister responsible for security
Ministry of Territorial Administration and Security
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Paris, 9 July 1999

Minister,

On 2 July 1999, I wrote you a letter informing you of our wish to visit
Burkina Faso in order to ascertain the progress made in the inquiry into the
death of Norbert Zongo. Today, I am acknowledging receipt of your letter,
numbered 99-0104, in which you express the view that our proposed visit is
"ill-timed," that our presence in Ouagadougou might "compromise the
tranquillity" of the country, and that consequently "it would be preferable
to postpone [our] mission to a more appropriate time, which would not hamper
the investigation of the Norbert Zongo case."

I am surprised by your reaction for a number of reasons:

The Commission of Independent Inquiry appointed by the authorities in
December 1998 is still active. I remind you that I am a member of this
commission and, as such, carry a card signed by the prime minister which
urges "civilian and military authorities to allow Mr. Robert Ménard to enter
and freely move around, and to facilitate his mission."

In addition, during a press conference held on 10 May 1999, you stated that
I had not been "expelled" from the country but simply "escorted to the
border" on 9 May. You even added that I could "return to Burkina Faso."

In your letter, you also note that the statements I made "in Burkina or
elsewhere did not fail to unleash passions." I believe that with regard to
the Norbert Zongo case, Burkina Faso citizens did not wait for the reactions
of international organisations such as Reporters sans frontières to demand
that justice be served. Also, it is unfair to place the responsibility for
events currently underway in Burkina Faso on our organisation.

Finally, if the measures which were promised by the authorities a day after
the submission of the report have indeed been implemented, I cannot see how
a Reporters sans frontières mission could stop "the political,
administrative and judicial institutions from gathering results in
accordance with the head of state's commitment and the legitimate desires of
Burkina Faso citizens."

In addition, we regret your decision which, to recall your expression, will
certainly not aid in "creating conditions for a calm and serene justice."
The act of banning the visit of a non-governmental organisation will not
improve Burkina Faso's image, which has already suffered considerably since
the beginning of the "Norbert Zongo affair".

Reporters sans frontières was hoping for a constructive visit to
Ouagadougou. Our organisation has always underlined the efforts which have
been made since the submission of the commission's report, notably the
arrest of three presidential guard soldiers. Your current attitude may not
help in facilitating a quick and effective settlement of this case.

In the hope of reassuring you, and to preserve a dialogue with your
country's authorities, we have decided to postpone this visit. But we hope,
in the name of "the consideration for transparency" which you mention in
your letter, that you will guarantee us the possibility of an unobstructed
visit to Burkina Faso in the coming weeks.

In the hope of a positive response, please accept my best regards.

Sincerely,

Robert Ménard,
Secretary-General