"Torture in Guinea: Force replaces law"

  1. Posted on Thursday 17 November 2011 - 08:29
    diandonghol
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    Mamadou Dian Donghol Diallo, AfricaNews reporter in Conakry, Guinea
    "Torture of detainees remains a practice of security forces in the era of Alpha Condé, "according to the Guinean Organization for the Defence of Human Rights. One year after the election of Alpha Condé as Guinean president, "Torture remains a common practice, even ordinary in this country", the organizations of human rights said in a report on Tuesday in Paris.
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    "The Guinean security forces still use regularly torture and abuse against criminal suspects, prisoners, persons identified as supporters of political opposition and military personnel accused of wanting to overthrow the government in place ", the NGOs said.

    In the report "Torture in Guinea: Force replaces Law," Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT-France) and three NGOs of Guinean human rights, emphasized that these practices, common during the previous 52 years of dictatorship, "persist with impunity" from "democratic election" of Alpha Condé.

    "Despite the willingness of the authorities to reform the justice, defence and security sectors, none of the accused for acts of torture has yet been punished or prosecuted while many of them are well known, "the report said.

    During a survey conducted in June 2011, teams of investigators of these NGOs were able to visit several prisons and collect the testimony of 36 people "victims of torture, crual or degrading treatment."

    The report describes in particular how the police took advantage of the context of tensions and the suppression of post-election violence in November 2010 for extorting money from people, raping women and imprisoning men, often from different ethnic groups to that of President-elect.

    NGOs estimate that "no response to victims of political violence that have regularly hit the Guinea since 2006" and the victims have received no "assistance" of the Guinean authorities.

    NGOs call the Guinean authorities to establish an independent monitoring of detention facilities, to respect the rights of defence during an arrest and punish perpetrators of violence.

    The three Guinean NGOs involved in this report are the Guinean Organization for the Defence of Human Rights (OGDH), The Same Rights for All (MDT) and the Association of Victims, Relatives and Friends of September 28, 2009 (AVIPA).

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