Journalist to get damages 16 years after his death

Almost 16 years after the tragic killing of Burkinabe investigative reporter Norbert Zongo, justice has finally come his way following a historic judgment by the  Arusha-based African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).

The court has ordered Burkina Faso to re-open the investigations into his murder and that of his three companions who were slain alongside him.

The one-hour judgment, which was read by a 10-judge bench led by presiding Judge Gerard Niyungeko, also ordered that the Burkinabe government must take over the prosecution of the suit.

The court directed the Burkina Faso government to round up all the accomplices in the murder and make them face the full wrath of the law, in a ruling delivered during the weekend.

The Burkinabe Government had in 2006 closed the case file claiming a lack of evidence.

The court further ruled that the Burkinabe Government must pay a reparation fee of over USD1 million to the families of the victims.

The ACHPR, which had earlier accused the Burkina Faso Government of failing in its obligation to bring to justice Zongo’s killers, also gave a deadline to the applicants to submit their request for reparations.

In 1998, investigative reporter and editor of the weekly L’Indépendant Zongo and his three companions were found burnt to death in their car, about a hundred kilometres from Ouagadougou.

During the time leading up to his death, Zongo was investigating the death of the driver of ousted President Blaise Compaoré’s brother, François.

Mtua Salira and the East African News Agency contributed to this story