Burkina Faso: Threats to Democracy Activists

BFA 001 / 9901 / OBS 001
Arbitrary detentions / assault 
/ threats
BURKINA FASO
11 January 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.
    
    Brief description of the situation
    
    The Observatory has been informed by the 
    Mouvement Burkinabé des Droits de l'Homme et 
    des Peuples (MBDHP), a member of FIDH and 
    OMCT, of acts putting in risk the security and 
    liberty of several members of a coalition called the
    Collectif d'organisations démocratiques de masse 
    et de partis politiques ; notably Mr. Halidou 
    Ouédraogo, (President of both, the MBDHP and the 
    Inter-African Human Rights Union), Mr. Tolé 
    Sagnon, Secretary General of the  Confédération 
    Générale du Travail (CGTB), Mr. Herman Yaméogo, 
    Mr. Joseph Ki-Zerbo and Mr. Issa Tiendrébéogo, 
    members of the Group of the 14th of February, Mr. 
    Grégoire Ouédraogo, President of the MBDHP 
    branch at Réo, and Mr. Michel Njamba, President 
    of the MBDHP branch at Yako. 
    
    Following the death on the 13th of December 1998 of 
    Mr. Norbert Zongo (a well known journalist) under 
    suspicious circumstances this coalition composed 
    of eleven organizations, including the MBDHP, was 
    set up to fight impunity and, in general, to promote 
    the respect of fundamental freedoms. The coalition 
    is headed by Mr. Halidou Ouédraogo, President of 
    the MBDHP. 
    
    Among its activities, the coalition called for protest 
    rallies across the country on 3 January 1998. 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, and called upon CDP activists to the 
    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 have been harassed: Mr. Halidou 
    Ouédraogo and Mr. Tolé Sagnon have received 
    death threats; in Kaya, threatenning 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, today 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.
    
    The Observatory is particularly concerned over the 
    threats against the MBDHP members as well as the 
    Coalition members and has seriously fears for their 
    security. 
    
    Action requested:
    
    Please write to the authorities of  Burkina Faso 
    urging them to:
    
    i.	guarantee the security and liberty of  Mr. 
    Halidou Ouédraogo, Mr. Tolé Sagnon, Mr. Herman 
    Yaméogo, Mr. Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Mr. Issa 
    Tiendrébéogo, Mr. Grégoire Ouédraogo and Mr. 
    Michel Njamba 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.
    
    Adresses
    
    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, 11 January 1999

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