Guinea: France joins calls for transparent investigation into mass grave

France has joined calls for a transparent and independent investigation by the Guinean justice system following the discovery of a mass grave in the south-western Forécariah prefecture.

The bodies of six men, their hands tied and their eyes blindfolded, were found on Monday by a group of young people who had gone into the forest to collect firewood.

Local authorities and the public prosecutor have since visited the scene and an official investigation has been opened.

Civil society organisations are calling on the United Nation’s human rights office, as well as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, to ensure its proper conduct.

Citizen movement, “Turn the Page-Guinea” said the fact that the bodies were hidden in an isolated area and lack identification “raises serious questions”.

It says it has documented numerous reports of alleged extrajudicial executions of civilians and state agents since the military authorities came to power in September 2021.

Last year, another mass grave was found in the same region, but investigations have to date not determined the identity and causes of death of victims.

In recent years, several political parties have been suspended and demonstrations, which were banned in 2022, have been suppressed.

In addition, numerous opposition and civil society leaders have been arrested, convicted, or forced into exile.