Amnesty International has called for an “urgent, full and independent investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the death of Norbert Zongo, a prominent journalist and outspoken critic of the government of Burkina Faso. “The exact circumstances of the violent death of Norbert Zongo and his companions must the clarified, and if it is found that they were deliberately killed, those responsible must be brought to justice,” the human rights watchdog said in a statement received by IRIN today (Friday) but dated 16 December.
Minister of Justice Yarba Larga promised, in a statement carried on Burkina radio on Wednesday, that there would be a full judicial investigation into the car accident last Sunday in which Zongo and three others died. The deaths provoked rioting in Ouagadougou, the capital, and in Zongo’s home town, Koudougou. At his funeral on Wednesday a large crowd chanted anti-government slogans, saying the accident had been faked.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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