OUAGADOUGOU (AFP) – 07/23/06 13:02 – Organizations, associations and political parties from Burkina Faso are mobilizing to denounce the verdict of dismissal for lack of evidence rendered by the criminal justice system in the case of the assassination in 1998 of journalist Norbert Zongo.

Judge Wenceslas Ilboudo dismissed the charges this Wednesday faced by Officer Marcel Kafando, ex-member of the presidential guard and only accused in the assassination case of the journalist and his 3 companions.

The “conglomerate for the fight against impunity” created the day after the assassination, denounced the decision as “scandalous and revolting” and continues to demand “truth and justice for Norbert Zongo.”

Its Vice-President, Tole Sagnon, denounced this “terrible decision” that “that does not give honor the Burkinabe criminal justice system.” “We will react to make sure this file is not buried,” declared the AFP.

Mr. Sagnon is also Secretary General of the General Confederation of Labor in Burkina (CGT-B; Confederation Generale du Travail - Burkina), the most powerful syndicate of the country.

The conglomeration regroups 49 religious associations for the defense of human rights, syndicate and political parties.

15 or so opposition parties regrouped at the heart of “an initiative group of the opposition” also called for “mass mobilization” to force the authorities to reopen the file.

Saturday morning, 15 or so members of this group came together on the grave site of Norbert Zongo and vowed to continue the fight to “make truth and justice win,” acknowledged AFP.

For Christian Kone, coordinator of the “initiative group” this “symbolic act aims at showing the authorities that the fight is not over,” and to accuse President Blaise Compaore, in power for the past 19 years, to have taken advantages of vacations, “to have released Officer Kafando.”

We will utilize public pressure and all other means at our disposal to make things move” he warned.

Friday, 10 or so parties, of which the majority of their leaders originated from Koudougou, Norbert Zongo’s native city, gave off a rallying pitch.

The lawyer of the Zongo family appealed the dismissal, while expressing doubts about the results of this step.

Investigational journalist and director of publicity of the weekly “Independence” Norbert Zongo was found burned to death in his car with three of his friends. At the time, he was investigating the death of David Ouedraogo, the driver of the youngest brother of the Chief of State, Francois Compaore.

Under the popular pressure, President Compaore was forced to create on independent investigative commission that concluded in May 1999 that Norbert Zongo was “killed in the framework of his professional activities” and designed 6 serious suspects, one of which the Officer Kafando, all members of the presidential guard.

Multiple associations of the defense of the freedom of press of which Reporters without Borders (RSF – Reporters Sans Frontieres) based in Paris, and the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ), in New York also condemned the verdict.