Thirty years in prison were requested against former Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré, suspected of being the main sponsor of the assassination of his predecessor Thomas Sankara, killed with twelve of his companions in a 1987 coup.
The military prosecutor’s office asked the court to find Blaise Compaoré guilty of “attacking state security”, “receiving a corpse” and “complicity in murder”.
Chased from power by the street in 2014, Blaise Compaoré has since been living in Côte d’Ivoire and is the great absentee of this trial, his lawyers having denounced “a court of exception”. He has always denied any involvement in the events of October 15, 1987.
Thirty years in prison have also been requested against Hyacinthe Kafando, the former commander of the guard of Mr. Compaoré, another big absentee of this trial, because on the run since 2016.
He is suspected of having led the commando that killed Thomas Sankara and his collaborators, and the prosecution has called for his conviction for “attack on state security” and “murder”.
In addition to these two notable absentees, twelve other defendants were present for this lengthy trial which began in October. The overwhelming majority had pleaded not guilty.
On Tuesday, twenty years in prison were requested against General Gilbert Diendéré, one of the army leaders during the 1987 putsch and the main defendant present. He is already serving a 20-year sentence for a 2015 coup attempt.
Several firm prison sentences – from three to twenty years – were also requested against five defendants and one eleven-year suspended sentence.
Finally, the prosecution has requested acquittal, “for non-constitutional facts”, for three defendants and for “prescription” for the last two.