On Tuesday, 7 January 2025, the correctional court of Conakry sentenced the opposition leader, Aliou Bah, president of the Mouvement Démocratique Libéral (MoDeL), to a two-year prison term. This latest sentencing  of political opponents, pro-democracy activists, civil society actors, artists, and journalists adds to the long series of abuses and violations of fundamental freedoms in the Republic of Guinea.

Guinea, under military rule since September 2021 (following the coup d’état by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya against Alpha Condé), has been experiencing a period of political instability over the past three years, marked by a power grab by the transitional authorities.

The sentencing of Aliou Bah, arrested on 26 December at Guinea’s border with Sierra Leone, for “offence and defamation” against the transitional president, Mamadi Doumbouya, is among the Guinean junta’s latest acts to silence dissenting voices. 

This verdict comes on the heels of the demonstration on Monday, 6 January 2025, called by the Forces Vives de Guinée (FVG) in Greater Conakry to demand the departure of the military in power, who have been in “constitutional illegality” since 31 December 2024. Indeed, one of the rallying cries of this mobilisation was a call for a return to constitutional order following the expiry of the transition calendar.

During this mobilisation, violent clashes erupted between law enforcement agents and young demonstrators, resulting in the fatal shooting of Mamadou Baïlo Sidibé, aged 20. In a statement released on Monday evening, the Forces Vives expressed their sorrow over this loss of life, while condemning the use of firearms and the “targeted arrests”.

AfricTivistes, as an organisation committed to the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms, vehemently condemns this disproportionate use of force that threatens the safety of individuals, in accordance with Article 2 of the Charter of the Transition of the Republic of Guinea.

This repression on the ground was accompanied by the censorship of several news websites such as Africaguinee, guinee360, and guinee7.com, among others. These various platforms were only accessible via a virtual private network (VPN) and for users outside of Guinean territory. 

It is worth noting that journalist Habib Marouane Camara and leaders of the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC) – Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla – who were all abducted, have been missing since August 2024 and December 2024, respectively. Since then, no authority has legally justified these arrests. This is in addition to the repeated attacks on freedoms of expression, press, assembly, and association in the context of the dissolution of around fifty political parties in October 2024.

We denounce these repeated attacks on press freedom and the right to information. AfricTivistes reminds that these abductions constitute a violation of Article 8 of the Charter of the Transition of the Republic of Guinea, which states that “no exceptional situation should justify violations of human rights.”

These arrests, convictions, and kidnappings raise significant concern among intellectuals and human rights defenders and represent ongoing violations of fundamental freedoms in Guinea since the rise to power of the CNRD in September 2021. 

We therefore encourage the competent authorities and all stakeholders to work to prevent any potential violations of individual and collective rights. We invite international organisations, financial and technical partners, human rights advocacy institutions, and friendly countries to pay particular attention to the situation in Guinea.

AfricTivistes stands alongside the populations, media, and pro-democracy activists who are fighting for the respect of rights and for a return to democratic order. We urge the Guinean authorities to prioritise the respect of commitments contained in the transition charter for a swift return to the electoral calendar.