The Prosecutor’s Office of the National High Court has initiated proceedings to investigate the murder of journalists David Beriain and Roberto Fraile in Burkina Faso, according to prosecutorial sources.
The sources consulted have indicated that said investigation procedures have been opened after receiving a police communication about what happened, although they point out that at the moment “little can be done”.
Arrival in Spain
The coffins have been received by a military cord of honor and carried on the shoulders of twenty-four soldiers of the Air Force. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, and Defense, Margarita Robles, as well as the ambassador of Ireland in Spain, Sile Maguire, are present at the reception.
Once the result is known, the Prosecutor’s Office, if it considers it appropriate, may request the National Court to open an investigation to clarify the death of the two journalists in eastern Burkina Faso after a attack by armed men to the group where they went to document anti-poaching efforts, the same sources say.
Terrorism crime
Being an alleged crime of terrorism committed against Spaniards in foreign territory, the competent body to investigate these facts is the National Court, recall the legal sources consulted.
Thus, since the magistrate of the Central Court of Instruction number 5, Santiago Pedraz, was on duty at the time of the murder, he will be in charge of deciding whether to open a case to investigate the facts.
Initial indications
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at a press conference, her Burkinabe counterpart gave her “some initial indications about what had happened.” “They are very preliminary and that is why we have agreed that continue investigating so they can give us additional details “about what happened, how and who is behind the events, has specified.
At this point, he has referred to the “statement from a jihadist group that has taken charge of the attack”, referring to the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the affiliate of Al Qaeda in the Sahel that would have published a audio message attributing what happened. “But this is not enough,” he added.
For this reason, the Government has asked the Burkina Faso authorities to “investigate the facts, clarify them and identify those responsible so that they can be brought to justice,” González Laya has indicated.
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