Salimata or Salamata Sawadogo Tapsoba (born December 31, 1958, in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

, Upper Volta) is the former chair of the

African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) is a quasi-judicial body tasked with promoting and protecting human rights and collective (peoples') rights throughout the African continent as well as interpreting the African Char ...

. She is also a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

, and (as of 2006), the Ambassador of

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

and

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. She is also a member of the Jurist Women's Association of Burkina Faso.

Education

Sawadogo earned her scientific baccalaureate (called in Burkina "BAC D") in 1979. She then entered the

University of Ouagadougou The University of Ouagadougou (UO; ) is a university located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Founded in 1974, it was officially renamed in 2015 as l’Université Ouaga 1 Professeur Ki-Zerbo. The UO consists of seven Training and Research Units (UF ...

's law school, and in 1980 received her

Diplôme d'études universitaires générales The Diplôme d'études universitaires générales (French for ''General Academic Studies Degree''), abbreviated DEUG, was a French undergraduate degree that required two years of studies, roughly equivalent to an associate degree in the American ed ...

("DEUG I", a degree of general academic studies) and in 1981 her "DEUG II". In 1982, she received her law degree, and in 1983 her master's degree in law. In 1985, she received her magistracy degree at the French National School for the Judiciary.

Career

Law

Sawadogo was an

examining magistrate An examining magistrate is a judge in an inquisitorial system of law who carries out pre- trial investigations into allegations of crime and in some cases makes a recommendation for prosecution. Also known as an investigating magistrate, inquisit ...

to the Court of

Bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

of Ouagadougou. She subsequently became President of the Court of Work of Ouagadougou, judging individual conflicts and questions about social security. She was a magistrate in the Court of Appeal of Ouagadougou, and later became vice president of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Ouagadougou.

Politics

Sawadogo was legal adviser to the Minister of Transport and Tourism in Burkina Faso, and later became Secretary-general of the Ministry for Justice In 2001, she was nominated as a member of the

, and in November 2003, she was nominated as its President.CADHP (2005, December) Commission Africaine des droits de l’homme et des peoples.Retrieved April 2006, from http://www.achpr.or.africancommissionofhumanandpeoplerights.commisWildaf/feddaf- Afrique(2004, July) de L’Ouest. African Commission Retrieved March 2006, from http://www.wildaf-ao.org/fr/article.php3id-article=350.html She served in this position until November 2007.

Ambassador to Senegal

Since July 2003, Sawadogo has been the

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

of Burkina Faso to

Guinea Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to its north and Guinea to its southeast. Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kin ...

, and the

.Le Fasot.net. (2005, August) Salimata SAWADOGO ambassador or Burkina in Senegal, chairperson of the African commission of human and people’s rights.Retrieved March 2006, from Since she has also been ambassador to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Professional associations

Sawadogo was the president of the jurist’s women association of Burkina, AFJ/BF. This association was created in November 1993 to promote

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

, and to oppose all forms of discrimination against women.AFJ/BF (2000, September) Association des femmes jurists du Burkina Faso Retrieved April 2006, from

Personal life

Sawadogo resides in Senegal. Since 1985, she has been married to Joseph Sawadogo, an educator who works in Burkina Faso. She has 2 children, Laetitia and Philippe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawadogo, Salimata 1958 births Burkinabe women ambassadors Living people Burkinabe women in politics Ambassadors of Burkina Faso to Senegal Ambassadors of Burkina Faso to Mauritania Ambassadors of Burkina Faso to Guinea Ambassadors of Burkina Faso to Cape Verde Ambassadors of Burkina Faso to the Gambia People from Ouagadougou 21st-century women politicians 21st-century Burkinabe people Justice ministers of Burkina Faso