Originally published on the CGS blog on October 15, 2009.
Today the International Criminal Court announced that the Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, would be looking into the recent events in Guinea. On September 28, 2009 , government soldiers opened fire on a group of 50,000 unarmed civilians gathering for a demonstration in Conakry, Guinea. At least 157 people were killed. The group was gathering to protest the recent announcement of the current leader of the country, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, that he would run for president in the upcoming elections. When Camara seized power in a peaceful coup in December 2008, after the death of the former president Lansana Conte, he promised to fight corruption. He also ensured the people of Guinea that he was not looking for extended power and that he would not run for president in the next elections. For a short time, he seemed like a promising leader in Guinea, but human rights abuses have increased and the Camara’s government shows no intentions of releasing their power.
The most shocking aspect of the massacre that occurred in September was the rampant violence against women. It is reported that women were sexually assaulted and raped in plain view. The exact number of women that were abused in this attack is not known, mainly because of the negative stigma attached to sexual assault victims in Guinea. According to an ICC Press Release, quoting Deputy Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda :
“From the information we have received, from the pictures I have seen, women were abused or otherwise brutalized on the pitch of Conraky’s stadium, apparently by men in uniform”… “This is appalling, unacceptable. It must never happen again. Those responsible must be held accountable.”
A preliminary investigation by the ICC has begun in order to determine if the crimes committed fall under the Court’s jurisdiction. Guinea has been a State Party to the Rome Statue since July 2003, making this a viable case for the ICC.
To learn more about the ICC, click here.
For more information about Guinea, click here.
