Human Rights Violations in Guinea

When we talk about human rights violations by security forces, Guinea is a name to reckon with. For the country, September 28^th, 2009 was one of the worst days in the history of this West African country.  About 150 people were brutally killed by presidential guards. Over 1,500 civilians got injured and more than 40 women were raped. The act of extreme violence was strongly condemned by the United Nations Security Council.

Human Rights Violations: Presidential Elections Trigger Massacre

The killings were performed in the wake of protests asking Dadis Camara, the head of state, to quit from the forthcoming presidential elections. The Forces Vives was the group responsible for organizing the protests.

 The weapons used in the massacre were brought mainly from South Africa and France. It has been reported that these human rights violations are carried out by specific units of Guinea's armed forces in terms of:

• extrajudicial executions
• torture and other ill-treatment
• rape
• sexual slavery
• arbitrary detention

Worse, the perpetrators continue to escape the process of law and continue to hold positions of authority. Even worse, civilians and companies refuse to speak against the security units of the country and refute any illegal activities.

International Military Assistance Fortifies Human Rights Violations

The Guinean military and security units has been receiving military assistance and training from countries like Germany, USA, Mali, Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria, China and France since 2004. This is perceived as a prompting factor behind several human rights violations happening in the country. It has been recommended that security reforms should only be conducted by giving due respect to international human rights and humanitarian law.