The Human Rights Actions Network
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ACTION REQUEST
New Information.
BFA 001 / 9901 / OBS 001.02
harassment / interrogation
BURKINA FASO
19th May 1999
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a
programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention in
the following situation in Burkina Faso.
New Information
The Observatory has just been informed that Mr. Halidou Ouedraogo,
President of the Inter-African Human Rights Union (UIDH), of the
MBDHP and of the "Collective of civil democratic organisations and
political parties" (formed following the death under suspicious
circumstances of the journalist Norbert Zongo), was taken in for
questioning by the Police on Monday, 17 May, 1999.
At the beginning of the afternoon of the 17 May, two policemen asked
Halidou Ouedraogo to go to the police station for an interview.
Mr. Ouedraogo went to the police station and was reproached for having
confirmed the words of Robert Menard, Director of Reporters Without
Borders and member of the Inquiry Commission, who said "members of
the Council are louts". He was also informed that he was under suspicion
of having "ordered a coup d'etat".
The interview lasted from 1545 until 1715 approximately and he was also
interviewed by Mr. Mamadou Traore, Chief Major of the police.
Following this meeting, the policemen made Mr. Halidou Ouedraogo sign
a form and then let him out.
During the interrogation a group gathered spontaneously outside of the
police station. The group was rapidly dispersed by the police forces who
threatened to use tear gas. Mr. Halidou Ouedraogo's wife, who wanted
to accompany her husband to the interrogation was immediately thrown
out of the police station. The police Captain apologised later for the
behaviour of his men.
The Observatory believes that this interrogation is part of an ongoing
harassment campaign against Halidou Ouedraogo, to hinder his activities
as a human rights defender.
The Observatory has reason to believe that this campaign is linked to the
mobilisation of the civil society and particularly to the activities
undertaken by human rights organisations to clarify the circumstances
surrounding the death of Norbert Zongo.
The Observatory would like underline that the harassment that Mr.
Halidou has been subjected to constitutes a violation of international
and regional human rights instruments notably the Declaration on
Human Rights, which states that " Everyone has the right, individually
and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the
protection and realisation of human rights and
fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels.".
Brief Reminder of the Situation
The Observatory was informed by the Inter-African Human Rights
Union(UIDH) and the Mouvement Burkinabé des Droits de l'Homme et
des Peuples (MBDHP), a member of FIDH and OMCT, that Mr. Halidou
Ouédraogo, (President of both the MBDHP and the Inter-African Human
Rights Union) who lives in the Gounghin area of the capital
Ougadougou, , several anonymous calls warning him that the Mayor of
Ouagadougou and the Secretary General of the CDP (the party of the
President of the country), Mr Simon Compaoré, were gathering people
together to burn down his house and that he should get out of the area.
Some 20 minutes later nearly 100 people surrounded his house. Some of
them began climbing the walls surrounding the house. They insulted
and threatened Mr Ouédraogo and told him to leave the area in 24 hours.
The Police only arrived 2 hours after having been alerted, even though
the police station is close by. Those threatening Mr Ouedragou had long
since dispersed.
The Mayor, that same morning, had stirred up the Muslim community
from the Gounghin area by spreading a rumour that Mr. Halidou
Ouédraogo and the coalition of organisations intended to burn down the
mosque in the area.
The Observatory has every reason to believe that these events are
directly linked to the recent publication of the conclusions of the
Commission of the independent inquiry into the death of Norbert Zongo.
In the report the statement of the Mayor of Ouagadougou before the
Commission was published and the Commission also gathered evidence
implicating the probable involvement the Presidential Guard in the death
of Zongo.
The Observatory was also informed of the risks to the freedom and
security of members of a coalition called the " Collectif d'organisations
démocratiques de masse et de partis politiques ";
Among its activities, the coalition called for protest rallies across the
country on 3 January 1998 to protest against impunity. These rallies
were banned by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Security
and all attempts to organize any demonstrations were broken up with
tear-gas. On that day, several members and activists of organizations
belonging to the coalition were arrested but later released either the same
evening or in the following 48 hours.
According to information received, on the 2nd of January 1998, the
National Political Bureau of the Assembly for Democracy, (Bureau
politique national du Congrès pour la Démocratie-CDP), the political
party of the current President, held a hearing where they referred to Mr.
Halidou Ouédraogo, Mr. Tolé Sagnon, Mr. Herman Yaméogo, Mr. Joseph
Ki-Zerbo and Mr. Issa Tiendrébéogo, (members of the coalition)and
called upon CDP activists to a "general mobilization and surveillance in
order to defend the victory of [our candidate] in the presidential
elections ".
Following this meeting, several members of the MBDHP were harassed
Mr. Halidou Ouédraogo received death threats; in Kaya, threatening
leaflets have been sent to the houses of the local heads of the MBDHP ;
in addition, Mr. Grégoire Ouédraogo, President of the Réo MBDHP
branch, has also been the subject of death threats by the Mayor of the
city and subsequently been forced to seek refugee at the police
(Gendarmerie) facilities.
Furthermore, on 11th January, at 10a.m., the President of the Yako
MBDHP branch, Mr. Michel Njamba was beaten by CDP activists and
forced to seek refugee at the Police station in order to save himself.
Finally, across the country, MDBHP offices have been either surrounded
or put under surveillance by the security forces.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities of Burkina Faso urging them to
i. guarantee the security and liberty of Mr. Halidou Ouédraogo, as
well as of the other members and heads of the Coalition.
ii. guarantee non-government human rights organisations and their
members the necessary conditions for the free exercises of their activities
in favour of the promotion and defence of fundamental freedoms;
iii. abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Protection of
Human Rights Defenders adopted on the 9th of December 1998, by the
U.N. General Assembly ("Declaration on the right and responsibility of
individuals, groups and organs of society to promote and protect
universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms"),
particularly, Article 1 which mandates that "[e]veryone has the right,
individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for
the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms
at the national and international
levels".
iv. more generally abide by the Universal declaration on Human Rights
and Covenants and international and regional Conventions ratified by
Burkina Faso.
Addresses
S.E. Blaise Compaoré, Président de la République, Présidence du Faso, 01
BP 24 Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso. Fax (+ 226) 31 05 78
Ministère des Affaires Etrangères du Burkina Faso, 03 BP 7038
Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso. Fax (+ 226) 30 87 92
Embassy of Burkina Faso in your respective countries.
Paris - Geneva, 11th May 1999
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