The charred body of Mr Zongo, an investigative journalist and editor of the weekly L’Indépendant, was found in his car on 13 December 1998. At the time of his death he had been investigating the circumstances in which David Ouédraogo, the chauffeur of President Blaise Compaoré’s brother François, died at the hands of members of the Presidential Security Regiment after being arrested on suspicion of stealing from his employer.

Following street protests at Mr Zongo’s murder, an Independent Commission of Enquiry (CEI) was set up and quickly named six leading suspects. Three years later, in 2001, presidential guard member Marcel Kafando was charged with murder and arson in connection Mr Zongo’s death. Despite the gravity of the charges, he was allowed to continue living at his home in Ouagadougou.

In July 2006, a court found that there were no grounds to prosecute Mr Kafando or anyone else, as a prosecution witness had withdrawn a statement made eight years previously, and that the case should be, in effect, abandoned. Prosecutors have since ignored new evidence showing that the original draft of the CEI’s report was toned down at the insistence of two government commission members. Passages about the contradictions in François Compaoré’s statement and the attempts by businessman Oumarou Kanazoé to silence Mr Zongo prior to his murder were removed from the final report.

Government emissaries have also repeatedly approached members of the Zongo family since 1999, offering financial compensation in return for “a pardon”. The family has refused such a deal on the grounds that, since no one has yet been convicted of Mr Zongo’s murder, there is still no one to pardon.

WAN reminds President Blaise Compaoré that, according to section 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and sections 3 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the authorities of Burkina Faso are expected to respect the right to justice and the independence of the judicial process.

WAN calls on the President to ensure that the political protection apparently being afforded to Mr Zongo’s alleged murderer is removed and that a thorough and impartial investigation is carried out. It urges him to take all necessary steps to ensure that the killer and all those who have protected him are swiftly brought to justice.