Document titled “Call for the burning of the Mogo Naba Palace”: Decision on appeal trial and request for provisional release postponed to July 5, 2024

As a reminder, the main defendant, Marcel Tankoano, was sentenced to four years in prison and a fine; Pascal Zaïda and Abdoul Karim Baguian (aka Lota) were each sentenced to two years and six months in prison and a fine; Désiré Guinko was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a fine. Boukaré Tapsoba was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine, while Karim Koné and Souleymane Belem were each sentenced to 12 months in prison and a fine.

The parties therefore appealed the decision. The case was originally scheduled to be heard in the Court of Appeal on Friday, June 21, 2024, but was ultimately postponed to July 5, 2024 at the request of the applicant’s lawyers “for the purpose of better defence”.

The request seemed to come as a surprise. “We did everything we could to arrange an appeal in this case, so much so that I was surprised by the request for a referral. This was especially true since lawyers were already involved in the first instance proceedings. In any case, the right to a defence is a fundamental principle in criminal trials,” explains Me Paul Kéré.

During the brief hearing (lasting about 17 minutes), the lawyers requested the temporary release of some of the applicants, arguing that the purpose of doing so was to allow them to receive (essentially) medical treatment. Mr. Kéré insisted that “Désiré Guinko, Abdoul Karim Baguian aka Lota, Boukare Tapsoba… they are all sick”, so for him, the question, if the request is accepted, is whether they will be allowed to receive effective treatment.

The court, following the opinion of the Attorney General’s Office, postponed the case to July 5, 2024, in order to rule on the request for provisional release and hear the case itself.

Also read: Marcel Tankoano trial and others: journalists Lookman Sawadogo and Alain Traore and civil society’s Boukary Conombo acquitted

OL

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