Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the case of the journalist Norbert Zongo in Burkina Faso

Press release 270/2006
2 August, 2006

The European Union expresses its concern at the filing of the Norbert Zongo case with the registry of the high court of Ouagadougou.

The European Union considers that the clarification of the murder of the journalist Norbert Zongo, and of those who were with him on 13 December 1998, remains of fundamental importance to the respect for human rights and the rule of law in Burkina Faso. Furthermore, the European Union encourages the judicial authorities to pursue vigorously the investigation of the case so that justice may be done. It also urges the government of Burkina Faso to facilitate all action by the judicial authorities in connection with the investigation of the case and to ensure that the truth is uncovered.

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

^* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process