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48-827: Norbert Zongo was born in the Koudougou region, French Upper Volta on 31 July 1949 into the Gnougnoossi family, a prominent subset of the Mossi people . While in secondary school in 1964, he created a newspaper, La Voix du Cours Normal , writing bulletins on his exercise sheets with information gleaned from morning broadcasts from Radio France Internationale , BBC World Service , and other international radio stations. School officials eventually banned his publication after it discussed political topics. After high school, Zongo pursued legal studies at University of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and journalism at

96-636: A centre for women journalists in Afghanistan in 2017, a creative protest with street-artist C215 in Strasbourg for Turkish journalists in detention, turning off the Eiffel Tower lights in tribute to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi and providing training to journalists and bloggers in Syria. In July 2018, RSF sent a mission to Saudi Arabia to call for the release of 30 journalists. The organisation publishes

144-417: A clothing recycling and manufacturing workshop, an experimental mango and green-leaf vegetable plantation, a metal forge for construction and maintenance of farming tools and implements, a metal waste-management and metal engineering workshop geared towards machine parts and motor components, an electronics repair shop and an open-air exhibition space for local sculptors. The city has a railroad station along

192-510: A colleague; and Abdouleye Ablassé Nikiema, who was Zongo's driver. Zongo's death triggered a national crisis and violent protests within Burkina Faso. In January 1999, François Compaoré was charged with murder and harboring the body of the victim in connection with the death of Ouedraogo. The charges were later dropped by a military tribunal after François Compaoré appealed against them. Six presidential body guards were identified as suspects in

240-547: A democratic ideal and had chosen to become involved, with his newspaper, in the struggle for the respect of human rights and justice, and against the poor management of the public sector and impunity." Many Burkinabé journalists accredit Zongo with being the first writer in the country to practice investigative journalism . In 2001 Zongo was posthumously given the Integrity Award for his work to expose government corruption. Koudougou Koudougou ( Mossi : Kʋdgo )

288-779: A gallery of Predators of Press Freedom, highlighting the most egregious international violators of press freedom. It also maintains an online Press Freedom Barometer, monitoring the number of journalists, media workers and citizen journalists killed or imprisoned. Its programme Operation Collateral Freedom, launched in 2014, provides alternative access to censored websites by creating mirror sites: 22 sites have been unblocked in 12 countries, including Iran, China, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. RSF offers grants to journalists at risk and supports media workers in need of refuge and protection. RSF's annual Press Freedom Prize, created in 1992, honours courageous and independent journalists who have faced threats or imprisonment for their work and who have challenged

336-502: A healthy space for information. JTI distinguishes itself from similar initiatives by focusing on the process of journalism rather than content alone. Media outlets will be expected to comply with standards that include transparency of ownership, sources of revenue and proof of a range of professional safeguards. RSF's defence of journalistic freedom includes international missions, the publication of country reports, training of journalists and public protests. In this function RSF publishes

384-461: A highly political case. Zongo was killed by members of the presidential guard. François Compaoré, the brother of President Blaise Compaoré, is implicated. The authorities never stopped protecting the killers. The president has got what he always wanted – injustice." The Independent Commission of Inquiry released the following statement: "Norbert Zongo was assassinated for purely political motives because he practiced investigative journalism. He defended

432-587: A market, a university and provincial government offices. Situated on the Mossi Plateau, the city is 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of Ouagadougou . In 1952 it was connected by rail to Ouagadougou and Abidjan . It is situated along the N13 road south of Sabou and north of Yako . The N21 road connects the city to Réo and the N14 connects it with Dédougou . Although the city's administrative borders used to extend further,

480-505: A quarter of its funds in 2018: On 22 February 2020, RSF issued a statement condemning the IRGC's call for journalists to be detained in Iran. IRGC intelligence has summoned some journalists and banned any media activities. Reporters Without Borders described the IRGC's intelligence action as "arbitrary and illegal" and aimed at "preventing journalists from being informed on social media." Following

528-499: A range of factors currently threatening that freedom. This includes: political control of the media, subjugation of news and information to private interests, the growing influence of corporate actors, online mass disinformation and the erosion of quality journalism. This Commission published the International Declaration on Information and Democracy to state principles, define objectives and propose forms of governance for

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576-557: A series of fraud and graft cases involving several mining and manufacturing companies with ties to top political officials and President Blaise Compaoré 's family. His resulting work severely embarrassed the government. The following year, Zongo directly criticized the Parliament's decision to amend the Constitution to allow Compaoré to seek a third term. In December 1997, a suspicious disappearance and possible murder of David Ouedraogo,

624-456: A teacher in Ouagadougou, Kadiogo Province . Zongo was also a writer. His first novel Le Parachutage was a thinly disguised political critique of Togo's President Gnassingbé Eyadema set in the post-colonial era. In the preface of the novel in 1988, Zongo mentions being arrested and beaten for writing it. He followed this novel with the colonial setting for Rougebeinga two years later, which

672-473: A thorough and transparent investigation leading to full justice." Reporters Without Borders' head of its Africa desk, Cléa Kahn-Sriber, said, "This ruling constitutes a major turning-point in the Zongo case, which has suffered appallingly from the impunity tolerated for all these years by Burkina Faso's justice system." Reporters Without Borders, who avidly campaigned for Zongo's case, stated, "This has always been

720-502: A yearly count of journalists killed on the job. To mark World Day Against Cyber-Censorship on 12 March 2020, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) unveiled a list of 20 Digital Predators of Press Freedom and announced that it is unblocking access to a total 21 websites in the sixth year of its Operation Collateral Freedom. RSF was founded in Montpellier , France , in 1985 by Robert Ménard , Rémy Loury, Jacques Molénat and Émilien Jubineau. It

768-548: Is a city in Burkina Faso 's Boulkiemdé Province. It is located 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of Ouagadougou , the capital of Burkina Faso . With a population of 160,239 (2019), it is the third most populous city in Burkina Faso after Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso , and is mainly inhabited by the Gurunsi and Mossi ethnic groups. Koudougou is situated on the only railway line in Burkina Faso and has some small industries,

816-505: The Abidjan – Ouagadougou Railway . As of June 2014 Sitarail operated a passenger train along the line three times a week in each direction. Ouagadougou International Airport is approximately 141 km southeast of central Koudougou and as of June 2014 had regularly scheduled flights to most major cities in West Africa as well as Paris, Brussels and Istanbul. Since 2005 the city is home to

864-926: The American Express , the Société Générale , the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency , and Ford Foundation . In 2005 RSF was reported by The Guardian to have been criticised by left-wing writer Diana Barahona for accepting funding from the National Endowment for Democracy in the US and the Center for a Free Cuba . She accused RSF of being part of “a neocon crusade” against Fidel Castro 's Government of Cuba . In response, Secretary-general Robert Ménard stated that funding from NED totalled 0.92 per cent of RSF's budget and

912-689: The Munich Charter , an authoritative document which clarifies the "Rights and Obligations" of Journalists. The Munich Charter (fr. Charte de Munich) was developed by the German Journalist Association (de. Deutscher Journalisten-Verband ), published in Munich 1971, and is accepted as authoritative within the profession. It was later adopted by most journalists' unions in Europe. Recent global advocacy and practical interventions have included: opening

960-574: The Stade Balibiè . Hilgers, M., Une ethnographie à l'échelle de la ville. Histoire et reconnaissance à Koudougou , Karthala, Paris, 2009. Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders ( RWB ; French : Reporters sans frontières ; RSF ) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information . It describes its advocacy as founded on

1008-814: The University of Benin in Togo. The latter university expelled him and he was imprisoned in Burkina Faso after he published his political novel Le Parachutage . He was able to finish his education in journalism at the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon . Zongo was a supporter of human rights and also helped found the Movement for Human and Peoples' Rights, an organization in Burkina Faso. Norbert Zongo's remains are buried in Gounghin Military Cemetery located just West of Ouagadougou. In 1971, Norbert Zongo began his career as

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1056-539: The University of Koudougou (there were around 5,600 students enrolled in 2010/2011) and in 2012 a vocational school opened. Primary school enrollment in 2007-2008 was 79.2% and secondary school enrollment was 20.3%. The city has a few soccer clubs including l'Association des Jeunes Sportifs de Koudougou (AJSK), l'AS des Employés de Commerce de Koudougou (ASEC-K), le Bouloumpoukou FC (BPFC), le Bouloumpoukou Stade (BPS), l'Association des jeunes footballeurs (AJF), and le Jeunesse Club Boulkiemdé . They all play at

1104-424: The 2020 ministerial decree obsolete. The Committee to Protect Journalists' Africa program coordinator, Sue Valentine, stated "We praise Burkinabe authorities for taking this step (arresting three presidential soldiers involved in Zongo's murder) and call on them to ensure that the mastermind of this murder is identified and prosecuted. After 17 long years, the family, friends, and colleagues of Norbert Zongo deserve

1152-522: The Francophonie . RSF works on the ground in defence of individual journalists at risk and at the highest levels of government and international forums to defend the right to freedom of expression and information. It provides daily briefings and press releases on threats to media freedom in French , English , Spanish , Portuguese, Arabic, Persian and Chinese and publishes an annual press freedom round up,

1200-463: The Press Freedom Prize: courage, independence and impact. Every few years, RSF also distributes Press freedom predator anti-awards. RSF issues a report annually. RSF reported that 67 journalists were killed, while 879 were arrested and 38 were abducted in 2012. The number of journalists killed worldwide in 2014 was 66, two-thirds of whom were killed in war zones. The deadliest areas for

1248-583: The World Press Freedom Index, that measures the state of media freedom in 180 countries. The organisation provides assistance to journalists at risk and training in digital and physical security , as well as campaigning to raise public awareness of abuse against journalists and to secure their safety and liberty. RSF lobbies governments and international bodies to adopt standards and legislation in support of media freedom and takes legal action in defence of journalists under threat. In addition, RSF keeps

1296-426: The abuse of power. TV5-Monde is a partner in the prize. A Netizen Prize was introduced in 2010, in partnership with Google, recognising individuals, including bloggers and cyber-dissidents, who have advanced freedom of information online through investigative reporting or other initiatives. "Our Prizes RSF" . 25 April 2024. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. In 2018, RSF launched new categories for

1344-636: The belief that everyone requires access to the news and information, in line with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that recognises the right to receive and share information regardless of frontiers, along with other international rights charters. RSF has consultative status at the United Nations , UNESCO , the Council of Europe , and the International Organisation of

1392-523: The case and violated the revised treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which allows freedom of expression and journalism. The ACHPR determined that the case should be reopened in order for the victim's families to be compensated for their losses. During his funeral, about 20,000 people walked ten kilometres (6.2 mi) from the mortuary to the cemetery to pay tribute to him and solidarity with his cause. In 2006, Zongo's case

1440-407: The city currently encompasses 15 surrounding villages. The economy of the city is dominated by agriculture with annual GDP for the city amounting to around 17.5 billion CFA (apx. $ 36 million). The city has small industries such as a soap, shea butter , cotton and various textile factories. As of February 2007, the city had radio-television production and broadcasting installations for Tele-Yaka ,

1488-901: The democratic debate. At the Paris Peace Forum in 2018, 12 countries launched a political process aimed at providing democratic guarantees for news and information and freedom of opinion, based on the principles set out in the Declaration. RSF launched the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) in 2018 with its partners the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Agence France Presse (AFP) and the Global Editors Network (GEN). JTI defines indicators for trustworthy journalism and rewards compliance, bringing tangible benefits for all media outlets and supporting them in creating

Norbert Zongo - Misplaced Pages Continue

1536-432: The driver of François Compaoré (President Blaise Campaoré's brother), prompted Zongo to investigate. Ouedrago was tortured and killed for allegedly stealing large sums of money. Zongo reported the case and wrote small excerpts every week for his newspaper. He began getting death threats and the government ignored them. His wife, Genevieve Zongo, confirmed that he was receiving death threats from 1997 to his death in 1998. She

1584-414: The global online space for information and communication. The Declaration emphasised that corporate entities with a structural function in the global space have duties, especially as regards political and ideological neutrality, pluralism and accountability. It called for recognition of the right to information that is diverse, independent and reliable in order to form opinions freely and participate fully in

1632-732: The journalists in 2014 were Syria, Palestine, Ukraine, Iraq and Libya (needs citations). The number of journalists convicted by their government rose to 178 in 2014, most of them in Egypt, Ukraine , China , Eritrea and Iran. RSF said that 110 journalists were killed in the course of their work in 2015. In 2016, RSF stated that, there were 348 imprisoned journalists and 52 hostages. Nearly two-thirds of imprisoned journalists were in Turkey , China, Syria , Egypt and Iran. The RSF's 2017 annual report stated that 65 journalists were killed, 326 journalists were imprisoned and 54 journalists were taken hostage during

1680-509: The morning of October 29, 2017, François Compaoré was arrested at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, based on a May 2017 international arrest warrant. A French ministerial decree authorized the extradition of Compaoré in March 2020. However, the extradition was suspended in 2021 by the European Court of Human Rights . Subsequently, in the aftermath of the 2022 coup , on December 13, 2023, France made

1728-535: The murder. In August 2000, five members of the presidential security were charged for the murder of Ouedraogo. Marcel Kafando, Edmond Koama and Ousseini Yaro, who are also suspects in the Norbert Zongo case, were convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Edmond Koama died on January 4, 2001. Marcel Kafando was the only one who was charged for the crime, but the charges were later dropped on July 19, 2006. Marcel Kafando died three years later, in 2009. The judgment

1776-572: The organisation's policies. An International Council has oversight of the organisation's activities and approves the accounts and budget. In 2018, RSF launched the Information and Democracy Commission to introduce new guarantees for freedom of opinion and expression in the global space of information and communication. In a joint mission statement, the commission's presidents, RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi identified

1824-579: The outbreak of the Coronavirus in Iran, RSF issued a statement on 6 March expressing concern over the health of imprisoned journalists. On 16 April 2020, RSF wrote to two United Nations special rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression and Health, urging the United Nations to issue serious warnings to governments that restrict freedom of expression in the context of the coronavirus epidemic. The letter, signed by RSF Director Christian Mihr, stated: "Freedom of

1872-552: The press and access to information are more important than ever at the time of Corona's pandemic." On 21 April 2020, the RSF based in Paris said that the pandemic had amplified and highlighted many crises and over shadowed freedom of the press. The high representative of the EU, Josep Borrell , stated that the pandemic should not be used to justify the limitation of democratic and civil freedoms and that

1920-549: The report, the Revolutionary Guards summoned a number of journalists, writers and human rights activists and threatened to detain them, forcing them to express their regrets or apologies for publishing their comments in cyberspace in order to silence them. On 25 June 2020, Reporters Without Borders issued a statement entitled "Online Repentance, a New Method of Repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran." According to

1968-627: The report, the Revolutionary Guards summoned and threatened to detain a number of journalists, writers, and human rights activists, forcing them to express regret or apology for posting their views online to silence them. The organisation condemned the pressure, threats and silence of social activists. RSF's budget for 2022 totalled €8m. 52% of the organisation's income comes from the state sector; 22% from foundations; 12% from commercial activities; 11% from sponsorships and public donations. Foundations supporting RSF's work through services include

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2016-428: The rule of law and international commitments should be respected. He said freedom of speech and access to information should not be limited and that measures taken against the pandemic should not be used to restrict human rights advocates, reporters, media staff and institutions of civil societies. On 25 June 2020, RSF issued a statement entitled "Enforced online repentance, Iran's new method of repression". According to

2064-404: The year. RSF's 2018 report stated that over 80 journalists were killed, 348 were currently imprisoned, and another 60 were being held hostage. In addition to its country, regional and thematic reports, RSF publishes a photography book 100 Photos for Press Freedom three times a year as a tool for advocacy and a fundraiser. It is a significant source of income for the organisation, raising nearly

2112-499: Was also political satire of leadership. In 1991, Zongo, after working for the national daily paper Sidwaya , founded La Clef with Saturnin Ki. It was the first newspaper in Burkina Faso to openly criticism the government, with Zongo contributing under the pseudonym Henri Sebgo (or H.S.). The paper folded in 1993. That June, Zongo founded the weekly L'Indépendant , which primarily covered government corruption. In 1996, he began investigating

2160-578: Was called "scandalous" by Reporters Without Borders . Businessman Oumarou Kanazoé  [ fr ] , who had also been implicated in documents brought forward by Reporters Without Borders, died in October 2011. In 2013, the case was appealed for the family to have justice for their loss under a court system that was not under control of Burkina Faso. It was believed by the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights that Burkina Faso's government covered up

2208-419: Was determined closed with no one found guilty, which enraged civil rights defenders and citizens of Burkino Faso. Norbert Zongo's widowed wife, Genevieve continued to keep his newspaper, the L'Indépendant , alive after his death. She remains the primary publisher and editor in memory of her late husband. In 2014, it was determined that Norbert Zongo's case was unfairly excused due to a bias in government. On

2256-516: Was registered as a non-profit organisation in 1995. Ménard was RSF's first secretary general, succeeded by Jean-Francois Juillard . Christophe Deloire was appointed secretary-general in 2012. RSF's head office is based in Paris. It has 13 regional and national offices, including Brussels, London, Washington, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, Taipei and Dakar, and a network of 146 correspondents. It employs 57 salaried staff in Paris and internationally. A board of governors, elected from RSF's members, approves

2304-469: Was told that Norbert would often be followed by a car while on his motorbike. Zongo was also approached to convince him to drop his investigation, but he continued until his death. On December 13, 1998, four bodies were found shot and burned in a Toyota Land cruiser on the side of the road in Sapouy , Ziro Province . The remains were identified as Norbert Zongo; Zongo's brother Yembi Ernest Zongo; Blaise Ilboudo,

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