THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
An independent international commission of inquiry has been established to investigate the death of Oury Jalloh, who burnt to death in a police cell in Dessau thirteen years ago.
An Independent International Commission of Inquiry to clarify the death of Oury Jalloh was founded in Berlin last weekend, and it has started work.
The commission has set itself the task of investigating the exact circumstances in which the Sierra Leone-born Oury Jalloh was burnt to death in a Dessau police station on 7 January 2005. The commission consists of nine persons from Germany, Italy, Britain and Austria.
In addition to finding the exact circumstances of Oury Jalloh’s death, the Commission also wants to shed light on why it took more than 12 years for the investigative authorities to even consider the possibility of murder in the case even in the face of several indications to that effect. Likewise, possible false allegations, manipulation of evidence, cover-up in forensic science and forensic medicine, as well as the exercise of pressure against witnesses shall be examined.
Moreover, possible structural deficiencies in the general investigation and prosecution of police attacks against citizens and their prevention should also be investigated. The commission also wants to situate its investigations within the historical and social contexts in Germany and Europe and to look at the results in this light.
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At the beginning of the investigations, the Independent Commission of Inquiry, according to a press release, will establish contact with all state investigative authorities, including the public prosecutor’s offices and the parliamentary judicial committees. It will continue to request full access to the investigation files and evidence at the Ministry of Justice of Saxony-Anhalt.
Whether and to what extent public authorities will promote or hinder the work of the Commission will become apparent in the coming months.
Sola Jolaoso
