EXTERNAL (for general distribution)AI Index: AFR 60/08/90

Distr: UA/SC

UA 390/90 Death in detention 27 September 1990

(See also UA 04/90, AFR 60/01/90, 8 January; and follow-ups

AFR 60/03/90, 6 February; AFR 60/04/90, 21 March; and AFR 60/06/90,

18 June)

BURKINA FASO: Guillaume SESSOUMA, university teacher

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Amnesty International has received unofficial confirmation that university teacher Guillaume Sessouma died as a result of torture in early January 1990, within a week of his arrest.

Guillaume Sessouma was not seen after his arrest on or shortly after on 23 December 1989 and there were unconfirmed reports that he had been ill-treated while held in secret, unacknowledged detention. In response to inquiries, the Burkinabè authorities claimed that he had escaped from detention. Contradictory official statements, however, led to fears that he was in fact detained and may have been ill-treated.

According to unofficial reports, Guillaume Sessouma's body was taken by security officials to a hospital in Ouagadougou in early January 1990, but then taken away to the Conseil de l'Entente building, also in the capital, which has been used as a place of detention. His family has not been officially notified of his death and his place of burial is not known. Guillaume Sessouma was married and had three children, one of whom was born after his death.

Guillaume Sessouma, aged 38, had studied plant biology (physiologie végétale) at the University in Dijon in France and had also undertaken research at the University in Groningen in the Netherlands. As well as teaching at the University of Ouagadougou, he had been Director of the Institut du développement rural, Institute of Rural Development, in Burkina Faso.

Guillaume Sessouma was among a group of 31 people arrested in December 1989 in connection with an alleged conspiracy against the government (see UA 04/90 etc, as above). Those arrested, both civilians and soldiers, appear to have been closely associated with former President Thomas Sankara who was killed in the coup in October 1987 which brought President Blaise Compaoré to power. Guillaume Sessouma and others among those arrested were members of the Union de lutte communiste - reconstruite (ULC-R), Union of Communist Struggle - Reconstructed, a political grouping which had participated in the government of President Sankara.

Amnesty International believes that Guillaume Sessouma may have been a prisoner of conscience, detained solely because of his political opinions.

Judicial investigations began into the cases of 27 of those arrested - the government claimed that four, including Guillaume Sessouma, had escaped - and seven were released uncharged in June, but none of the others has yet been brought to trial.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Telegrams/telexes/airmail letters in FRENCH if possible:

- expressing grave concern about unofficial reports that Guillaume Sessouma died as a result of injuries inflicted in custody after his arrest in December 1989;

- urging that, if he did indeed die in custody, the authorities should acknowledge his death and establish responsibility for it;

- requesting that an official investigation be set up, to be headed by an independent and impartial figure, such as a judge, to hear evidence about Guillaume Sessouma's treatment in custody and to establish exactly what happened to him, and to make its findings public;

- urging that any members of the security forces found to have been involved in torturing or killing Guillaume Sessouma, or colluding in a cover-up of his death, be prosecuted;

- calling on the government, while it is awaiting the results of this inquiry, to take immediate action to ensure that detainees cannot be subjected to torture, in particular by ending the practice of prolonged incommunicado detention.

APPEALS TO:

Son Excellence Capitaine Blaise Compaoré

Président du Front Populaire

Chef de l'Etat et Chef du Gouvernement

Présidence du Faso Telegrams: President Compaoré,

BP 7031 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Telexes: 5221 prefaso bf

Monsieur le Capitaine Gilbert Diendéré

Secrétaire chargé de la Défense et de

la sécurité

Comité exécutif du Front populaire Telegrams: Capitaine Diendéré,

Secrétariat général du gouvernement Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Telexes: 5555 scge gouv bf

Monsieur André Roch Kaboré

Ministre d'Etat Telegrams: Ministre d'Etat

Secrétariat général du Kaboré, Ouagadougou, Burkina

gouvernement Faso Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Telexes: 5555 scge gouv bf

COPIES TO:

Monsieur Alidou Ouedraogo Monsieur Pierre Waongo

Président Rédacteur

Mouvement burkinabè des droits de Sidwaya

l'homme et des peuples (MBDHP) Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

01 BP 2055

Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso

Agence burkinabè de presse

BP 2507

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

and to diplomatic representatives of Burkina Faso in your country

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 8 November 1990.