Communique oh the death of Mr. Edwin Ndupu and his Remains

In its communiqu"© of Monday 06 September 2004 IAIA asked that the remains of Mr. Ndupu be released to enable an independent autopsy. IAIA subsequently learned that the Nigerian Embassy in Vienna had made similar request to the Austrian authorities in Vienna.

The Embassy first learned of Mr. Ndupu’s death from the papers and immediately contacted the Stein prison authorities who, according to the Embassy, declined to comment further saying they were not in a position to discuss the matter with the Embassy. But the Embassy’s subsequent formal contacts with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (their appropriate diplomatic channel of communication with government) appear to have only elicited a mere acknowledgement, in writing, of the Ministry’s receipt of the Embassy’s enquiries about the Nigerian prisoner’s death in Stein. What is the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying to the Nigerian Embassy about the death and corpse of Mr. Ndupu? As far as IAIA can tell as of this writing, Nothing! Because the Embassy has not confirmed any specific response in those regards from the Ministry. Is the Austrian government going to release Mr. Ndupu’s corpse to the Embassy for the purposes of an independent autopsy? Good question.

IAIA contacted the Notary Public which should know if a burial has taken place of Mr. Edwin Ndupu’s remains but the Notary Public could not confirm that such a burial had indeed taken place. IAIA assumes that Mr. Ndupu’s corpse has not been buried.

IAIA stands by and reiterates the claim and demands stated in IAIA Communiqu"© of Monday 06 September 2004 made all the more urgent by above developments.

In addition, IAIA poses the following questions:

Has Mr. Ndupu’s corpse been buried? If not, where is it? Who has the corpse? And why is the fact of its availability not publicly acknowledged? Why has his corpse not been released? Does the corpse look so bad that a pathologist’s eyes are not necessary to see evidence of foul play?

If, on the other hand, Mr. Ndupu’s corpse has been buried, by whose instructions was it buried? When did the burial take place? Was it before the Minister of Justice ordered for an autopsy or was it immediately after the autopsy? Where was it buried? And why, if indeed it has been buried, was it buried without allowing the opportunity for an independent autopsy? Was it buried because burying the corpse (the evidence?) was the smartest way to end the matter?

Well, didn’t Omofuma prove that the smartest way of "ending the matter" is to come clean up front? But it looks like this simple, straightforward lesson was not grasped at all. Paying out the sum of 10 000 (ten thousand) Euro to the family of Marcus Omofuma in compensation ("Schmerzgeld") was so easy and convenient because it’s public money: tax payers’ money! Perhaps the compensation in Omofuma’s case was so very cheap because there was the body, at least; remains of the tortured body, that is. At that rate of compensation, however, the "Schmerzgeld" that might (eventually) be paid to Mr. Ndupus’ family especially if his body cannot be found is any body’s guess.

""*

Corrigendum:

In IAIA Communiqu"© of Monday 06 September 2004 the date of Seibane Wague’s death was erroneously reported as 15 August 2003. This should have read 15 July 2003. IAIA regrets this unnecessary typographical slip.


This is an official communication of IAIA.


INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR INTEGRATIVE ACTION (IAIA)
Rochusgasse 2, A-1030 Vienna, Austria.
Tel.: + 431 - 712 14 01 and + 43 - 676 - 936 23 73,
Fax.: + 43 - 1- 712 05 72.