Trial of slain journalist opens in Abidjan

Originally scheduled two days before Christmas, the trial of the suspected killer of French journalist, Jean Helene, opened on Tuesday in the economic capital Abidjan. The accused, Dago Seri, is the Ivorian police sergent who on 21 October presumably shot at point blank range Helene outside the offices of the poice headquarters. A reporter for French radio station Radio France Internationale, Helene was on assignment, waiting to interview opposition activists who were about to be released. The trial, which opened around 11 a.m., is presided by a civilian judge and is taking place in a civilian courthouse. Sources told IRIN that tampers flared as Seri appeared in court and journalists tried to take pictures of him, as an impromptu support group chanted that Dago was innocent. This is the second high profile case involving a member of the army In 2002, eight members of the Ivorian army were tried for their presumed role in the Yopougon mass crave. In 2000, on the same day that Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo was sworn in Cote d’Ivoire’s third president, a mass grave of some 50 bodies of young men was discovered in the northern Abidjan suburb of Yopougon. Evidence pointed to the Ivorian armed forces. The eight men were acquitted of all charges.