Guinea court finds former military leader guilty of crimes against humanity

A court in Guinea on Wednesday sentenced former military ruler, Moussa Dadis Camara, to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of crimes against humanity.

The charges stem from the 2009 massacre of more than 150 people during a pro-democracy rally in the capital Conakry.

More than 100 survivors and relatives of victims testified in the trial that started in November 2022, more than a decade after the massacre and under pressure from families and activists demanding justice.

The court said the charges, which included murder, rape, torture and kidnapping, had been reclassified to crimes against humanity.

Seven other accused military commanders were found guilty of the same crimes in the high profile trial. Four others were acquitted.

Camara took power in a coup in 2008 following the death of long-time President Lansana Conté.

Demonstrators at the stadium were protesting against his plans to stand in presidential elections the following year when soldiers opened fire on them.

At the time, the junta claimed “uncontrolled” elements of the army had carried out the rapes and killings.

But a Human Rights Watch report found that Camara’s top aides were at the venue and had done nothing to stop the massacre.

Survivors said many could not flee the gunfire after his presidential guard surrounded the stadium and blocked the exits.

Camara fled the country after surviving an assassination attempt not long after the massacre, but returned from exile in September 2022 to face justice, insisting that he was innocent.

While in jail late last year, Camara was released by gunmen who stormed the country’s main prison but was back in custody hours later with his lawyer claiming he had been kidnapped.

Rights organisation, Amnesty International, has hailed the “historic verdict as an example to the world and to Guinea, where the illegal use of firearms and excessive use of force during demonstrations remains commonplace”.