The Prosecutor of Faso at the TGI of Ouaga 1, Harouna Yoda, announced on Sunday the custody of six suspects, most of them civil society actors.
They are suspected of having broadcast for money, messages calling both to destroy and to oppose the destruction of the Mogho Naaba palace, with the aim of creating clashes with serious consequences.
“On the night of May 2 to 3, 2023, audio messages published on social networks called for a rally to burn down the palace of Mogho Naaba.
I instructed the Criminal Investigations Division (DIC) of the Directorate of Judicial Police of the National Police to open an investigation in tandem with the Central Brigade for the Fight against Cybercrime (BCLCC) to identify the authors, co-authors and accomplices of the said audios.
The message that led to the opening of the investigation was supposed to come from supporters of the Head of State and portrayed the Mogho Naaba as an opponent of the transition.
Two other audio messages, supposed to emanate this time from unconditional defenders of the Mogho Naaba called on the populations to come out massively to valiantly oppose the designs of those who want to attack the palace of the monarch, while announcing the imminence of the 'offensive.
It appears from the first elements of the investigation (which is still in progress), that these different audio messages, contrary to what they may suggest, come from the same source.
Their authors would have been approached for the recording and distribution of these audios, all for remuneration.
Other people approached in this sense had declined the offer and had opened up to our prosecutor's office while explaining the various stages which led, among other things, to the publication of these messages.
The logical consequence of these audios would have been the confrontation between supporters and opponents of the destruction of the Mogho Naaba palace, with heavy consequences; anything that seems to be one of the goals of their authors and sponsors.
The investigations have so far led to the arrest and custody of six (06) people who are mostly actors of civil society organizations.
They are implicated for acts of association of criminals (362-1 and 362-2 of the CP), disclosure of false information (312-13 of law 044-2019 modifying the penal code), incitement to an armed crowd or unarmed (315-4 and 315-8 of the penal code) and other offenses that the investigation may reveal.
This is the place to note that the people already arrested and kept in custody as well as those who could be in the coming days are in no way prosecuted for their opinions.
They are arrested because consistent evidence leads us to believe that they have committed serious acts that violate criminal law.
This is ample justification for these people, like hundreds of others across the country, to be arrested for the purposes of the investigation, in accordance with the law.
My prosecutor's office will continue to play its part whenever the actions of people, be they organizers or leaders of civil society organizations, are a threat to peace and national cohesion.
In the same vein, I would like to inform you that Mr. SINON Mohamadi, who had recently been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence and fine, was arrested and is being prosecuted for his recent audios that allege that the National Gendarmerie is not investing "one hundred percent" in the fight against terrorism. He is being prosecuted for acts of defamation and endangering the lives of others.
Every citizen is expected to make virtuous use of this marvelous tool that is the digital universe. If it were to be otherwise, my public prosecutor's office will work within the framework of its attributions and skills, so that there is an effective criminal response so as to lead to proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.
Source: Burkina Information Agency