Guinea - July 2024

On 9 July, Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, leaders of the opposition coalition, National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), were arbitrarily arrested by security forces along with FNDC coordinator, Mohamed Cissé. While Cissé was released the following day, the whereabouts of Sylla and Bah remain unknown. The Attorney-General has publicly denied their arrests. According to rights groups, the incident is part of a broader crackdown on dissent, marked by arbitrary arrests and secret detentions. The arrests prompted a nation-wide lawyers’ strike and civil society demonstrations, defying the May 2022 ban on political protests imposed by the junta.

Sources: Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), United Nations Human Rights Office, BBC, Africa Confidential, Le Monde, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch

On 31 July, a Guinean court convicted former President Moussa Dadis Camara and several high-ranking military officers for their roles in the 2009 Conakry stadium massacre, sentencing Camara to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity. The convicted were also ordered by the court to provide reparations to the victims and their families. Over 150 people were killed and over 100 women were sexually assaulted during a pro-democracy rally on 28 September 2009 in Conakry; this landmark trial is Guinea’s first for such large-scale human rights violations and marks a significant moment for justice.   

Sources: Jeune Afrique, DW, United Nations, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)