Former president Guinea receives grace for conviction for massacre

Almost eight months after a tribunal sentenced him to twenty years in prison and compensation for converted hundreds of thousands of euros for crimes against humanity, a historic judgment in Guinea, former juntal leader Dadis Camara goes free again. On Friday, Guinea’s transition president Mamadi Doumbouya granted him grace, officially for ‘health complaints’.

Shortly after the announcement on Friday evening on national television, former army officer Camara became security services taken out of The central prison in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. He was stuck there since he was on July 31 last year with seven others, including high-ranking (former) soldiers, was convicted of his role in the massacre that was caused on September 28, 2009 in a football stadium in Conakry.

At least 157 attendees died that day when members of the Presidential Guard, Gendarmes and Milities stormed into the stadium in which thousands had gathered for a protest from opposition parties. Those present were shot, hunted, trampled and oppressed. In the midst of the chaos, women were raped massively, some so brutally that they succumbed to their injuries.

According to the prosecutors, the assignment for this operation came from Camara: the meeting was organized by the opposition to speak out against his grip. The army officer had come to power in 2008 after a coup and no longer wanted to give way. In what was also elsewhere in West Africa was seen as a historical process that almost two years lastedthe Camara judges considered his « hierarchical responsibility. »

Slap for victims

His grace after barely eight months is a blow to victims and relatives who had to wait more than fifteen years for this process. Many were afraid that the former president would go free. Guinea has a long history of political violence, but never before has a leader been held responsible for this. Moreover, under the Guinée Forestière, the ethnic group to which he belongs, Camara still applies as a semi-god.

They also form an important voter group. When NRC Prior to the judgment in July with relatives and their lawyers, for that reason, many said to fear for grace – it could come to a conviction. Guinea’s current leader Doumbouya, in power since his own coup in 2021, has started in recent months to sort on elections that may take place at the end of this year.

In the run-up there, critical media houses have been closed and ‘disappeared’ two well-known pro-democracy activists, just like some journalists. An opposition politician, one of the few who had not fled the country yet, was recently sentenced to two years in prison for defamation after his criticism of the regime.

Camara’s grace, not long after Guinea’s Premier shared that presidential elections will take place this year, it is difficult to see independently of that. His conviction had put a lot of bad blood under the Forestière community. It is unclear in any case on the basis of which ‘health problems’ it has been decided to release the former junior leader. During the trial he looked well -blown, at times furious, but also fit.

Earlier this week, Doumbouya seemed to be meeting the victims and relatives of ’28 September ‘. Per decree He announced that the government would pay them the compensation that the Camara court and the seven others had imposed. This involves amounts rising from converted 20 thousand euros to 150 thousand euros, including for medical help. In total it concerns a few hundred people.

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