67. Furthermore , in the special circumstance s of this case , whereby the Respondent
State has not raised any objection, the Court does not see any reason as to why it should
not grant the symbolic reparation claimed by MBDHP as reparation for the moral prejudice
it suffered. Accordingly , the Court further grants the claim made by the Applicants for one
(1) symbolic CFA Franc to be paid to MBDHP.
C. Claims for reparation for material prejudice
68. In their Brief on Reparations and , once again, in regard to MBDHP, the Applicants
claimed "reimbursem ent of the expenses incurred between 1998 and 2013, for organizing
demonstratio ns, particularly the International Day Against Impunity organized on 13
December of each year, both to force the authorities to track down the perpetrators of the
assassinatio n of the journalist and his companions and to rally the people of Burkina Fa so
to support the families of the beneficiaries", that is, the amount of forty-five million seven
hundred and thirty-four thousand seven hundred and five (45,734,705) CFA F .
69. Furthermore , In their letter dated 17 November 2014 submitted in Response , the
Applicants rejected the claim according to which "the State of Burkina Faso contributes
financially and yearly to the functioning of the MBDHP [Burkinabe Movement on Human
and Peoples' Rights] just like other associations ". According to them , since its creation
on 19 February 1989, the MBDHP has never received any financial contribution
whatsoever from the authorities.
70. In its Brief In Response, the Respondent State argued that the claim for
reimburseme nt of the costs incurred for organising demonstratio ns has no material or
legal grounds, for the following reasons :
(i) the MBDHP has been existing well before the matter of Norbert Zongo and has
organized demonstratio ns not related to this matter;
(ii) Burkina Faso contributes financially and yearly to the running of the MBDHP, like
other associations27 ;
27
As earlier ind rcated (para 69), the Applicants categorically reject this allegation
23