Just a few days before the reopening of the trial for the September 28, 2009 massacre, FIDH accompanied by its member organisations, and Guinean partners shares its observations on the past year of the trial. Together, they are resolutely continuing their fight to obtain justice for the victims.
"Judicial actors and the Guinean civil society are contributing through this trial to one of the most significant legal experiences in Africa. The judges are working to establish accountability for acts that traumatised this country," said attorney Drissa Traoré, FIDH Secretary-General. "This is a strong signal that no one is above the law, respect for rights, and human dignity," he added.
"The Guinean justice system is acting for the dignity of an entire people, one that rejected the violence and inequity of the Dadis Camara regime, now on trial," said Asmaou Diallo, President of AVIPA.
Dignity through Justice
This unprecedented trial in Guinea, involving a former President and his close collaborators, is the result of a hard-fought battle by non-governmental organisations acting as civil parties. Gathered this week as part of a FIDH judicial mission in Conakry, members of the collective of lawyers representing the victims continued their strategic work in anticipation of the resumption of the trial on 3 October, 2023.
"Since the beginning of the trial, our lawyers have made considerable efforts to establish the truth and seek justice for the victims. Through their questioning and the presentation of various items of evidence, they will continue in the same dynamic to guide the judges’ conviction," said Attorney Alpha Amadou DS Bah, Vice-President of OGDH and Coordinator of the Collective of Victims’ Lawyers.
On the occasion of the trial’s resumption on 3 October, FIDH, OGDH, and AVIPA, in their ongoing fight for justice and the rule of law in Guinea, will release a judicial analysis note containing findings and a number of recommendations to strengthen conditions for the trial that respects the rights of all parties involved.