Among the witnesses that the Tribunal wishes to hear are the former French Ministers Roland Dumas and Jack Lang, as well as Jean-Christophe Mitterrand.
Le Monde with AFP
The trial of the presumed assassins of the President “Revolutionary” of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, killed on October 15, 1987 at a coup d’etat, took over in Ouagadougou, Monday, October 25, after two weeks of suspension, noted a reporter from AFP. Open on October 11th in a military court thirty-four years after the facts, it had been suspended at the request of Office committed defense lawyers who wanted more time to be able to study “the 20,000 pieces of the file”.
The first day of recovery, mainly devoted to procedural issues, also made it possible to establish the list of sixty witnesses that the Tribunal wants to hear – videoconferencing for those living abroad. Among these witnesses are the former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas, as well as Jack Lang, former Minister of Culture. The court would also like to hear Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, son of President François Mitterrand, who was a counselor for his father’s African affairs at the time of the facts.
“There are former ministers of France, former diplomats, said Mamadou Coulibaly, a defense lawyer. We have put their name, but their address is still under research. That is to say. that probably some do not know they have to testify. “
At the opening of the trial, the international network “Justice for Thomas Sankara, Justice for Africa” had emphasized the risk that it does not address the role played by France, the United States and countries West African as Côte d’Ivoire de Félix Houphouet-Boigny and Togo of Gnassingbe Eyadema, then ulcerated by the anti-imperialist positions of this young revolutionary ademented by African youth.
The widow of Thomas Sankara, Mariam, Venue de France (where she usually resides) to attend the trial, signed a petition requesting it to be filmed “for history”. This request was rejected on the day of the opening of the trial by the military court.
For compaoreal lawyers, “a trial simulacre”
Twelve of the fourteen accused were present on Monday at the resumption of the trial, including General Gilbert, 61 years old, one of the main leaders of the army at the Putsch of 1987. The main accused, former President Blaise Compaore, Wake in power by this putsch, was absent at the recovery of the trial, just as he was at his opening. His lawyers denounced “a trial simulacrum” before an exceptional court “.
Blaise Compaore, driven out of power in 2014 by the street and lives since in Côte d’Ivoire, a country of which he obtained nationality, is accused of “complicity of assassinations”, “concealment of corpses” and “attack” to the security of the State “. The same charges are weighing on the general died, which already purges in Burkina a sentence of twenty years in prison for a coup attempt in 2015.
Among the accused also appear by Mr. Comparei Presidential Guard soldiers. One of them, former Chief Warrant Officer Hyacinthe Kafando, suspected of being the commando leader who murdered Thomas Sankara, is on the run.
The trial, which must last from two to four months, continues on Tuesday with the interrogation of one of the accused, Ilboudo Yamba Elisha, soldier presented as one of those who shot Thomas Sankara and his twelve companions also murdered.