which was the family's only source of income; that to make ends meet, she was
forced to sell pastries on a daily basis.
55. Regarding his children, the Applicant states that they were equally affected by his
conviction and imprisonment; that his eldest son who was undergoing training at
military academy in Taiwan at the time of the trial was informed of the sad news
of his father's conviction through the internet because the latter did not have the
courage to convey the information to his son; that since he received the news, he
started having severe bouts of headache; that his two younger sons, for their part,
were being ridiculed by their school mates after the conviction was broadcast by
the media; that his youngest son who was only fourteen at the time of the
imprisonment, was so affected that he was ultimately dismissed from school for
poor academic performance.
56. Relying on the jurisprudence of international courts and considering all the
circumstances of the matter, the attack on his professional reputation, the impact
on his career (the physical and psychological torture inflicted on his entire family as
a result of the case, then his imprisonment and what the Respondent State intended
to achieve by subjecting a journalist to such punishment) - the Applicant prays the
Court to award reparation proportionate to the moral prejudice suffered in the
amount of 17,500,000 CFA Francs.
57. The Respondent State did not dispute the fact that the Applicant suffered moral
prejudice during the criminal trial that resulted in his conviction and imprisonment.
It however maintains that the magnitude of the damages and the amount of
compensation the Applicant is claiming are disproportionate when compared to
the prejudice suffered, considering the context and living standards in Burkina
Faso. Consequently, it prays the Court to assess the damages based on reality
and context, and award the Applicant the sum of 500,000 CFA Francs as
compensation.
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