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Justice for Sankara Campaign: URGENT APPEAI. (April 27, 2001 )
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Justice for Sankara Campaign: URGENT APPEAL.
April 27, 2001
Dear Sir, Madam, Fourteen years ago, the popular President of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, was assassinated. His tragic death brought an end to his government’s efforts to turn around Burkina Faso’s colonial legacy, and to orient this West African country’s economy toward meeting its citizens’ basic needs. Ever since, the country has mourned the loss of Thomas Sankara, and his killers have gone unpunished. Four years ago, his widow, Mariam Sankara, filed an action in the common law courts of Burkina Faso to institute an investigation to identify those responsible for Sankara’s assassination, in the case Sankara v. X. Her lawyers, Me Dieudonné Nkounkou and Me Benewende Sankara (no relation), have since been joined by a team of 13 international lawyers in Africa, Europe and Canada (lawyers Chiu, Philpott, Sloan, Moran, Valai, Fernandes, Roach, Bibillot-Prevost, Nzeppa, Abessolo, Berteigne, Barnabé, Devotsou). The State of Burkina Faso opposed the action on the grounds that Thomas Sankara was killed on military territory and the case should thus be heard in the military courts. In 1998, Judge Kambiré, in a bold move, ordered the trial to proceed in the common courts. That decision was successfully appealed by the State of Burkina Faso. Me Sankara has since appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of Burkina Faso and the hearing has suddenly been set for May 15, 2001 This hearing will make the final determination to decide if the case will be heard in the common courts, where the process is open and transparent, or in the military courts, where the proceeding will take place in absolute secrecy and with no accountability. Me Sankara—renowned in Burkina Faso for his courageous legal crusade to expose the violence and intimidation perpetrated by the regime of Blaise Compaoré, the current president of Burkina Faso—has put himself at great personal risk in pursuing this case, including being arrested. Now he is calling on lawyers who are his international co-counsels in the case Sankara v. X to join him in his pleading at the hearing on May 15. The Justice for Sankara Campaign is making an urgent appeal to raise funds to send a lawyer to be at Me Sankara’s side during this critical hearing. Similar fundraising initiatives are currently underway in Europe and Africa in order to be able to send the greatest number of lawyers possible. A free and fair trial in the case of Sankara v. X constitutes the first critical step toward breaking the cycle of impunity that has reigned in Burkina Faso ever since the assassination of the popular leader Thomas Sankara on October 15, 1987. In Africa, this undertaking by an independent group of lawyers, organizations and other individuals is a first. A victory against impunity would set a precedent both in terms of law and in terms of the right to self-directed and sustainable development—the dream for which Sankara died. We are appealing to your solidarity and generosity to help make a difference at the May 15th hearing. Please send your contribution today to the address below. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the Justice for Sankara Campaign, please contact Vincent Valai, lawyer, Justice for Sankara Campaign, at 514-845-7731. In solidarity, Gwen Schulman Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa Member group of the Justice for Sankara Campaign
Please send your donation:
· by bank transfer to Account no. 145 708 Caisse Populaire Desjardins du Mont-Royal, Transit no. 815-30197
· via Western Union to the order of Doug Miller, Treasurer (GRILA)
· or by cheque to the order of the Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa
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