2010 torture case: Civil parties Demand that Sekou Resco Camara Be Placed under Judicial Supervision and that the Trial Be Held Rapidly

25/04/2014
Press release
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In light of consistent reports of the possible appointment of former Governor of Conakry, Mr. Sekou Resco Camara, to a diplomatic post abroad, and concerned that this would constitute a serious impediment to judicial proceedings in which he has been formally indicted for acts of torture, FIDH and OGDH have asked Guinean judicial authorities to place Mr. Camara under judicial supervision to ensure he remains at the disposal of the court. FIDH and OGDH also call upon the judicial authorities to quickly go forward with the trial of the alleged perpetrators of these acts of torture. Our organisations also call upon Guinean authorities to ensure that justice is properly rendered in this highly symbolic case of serious human rights violations that have occurred in Guinea’s recent past.

According to several sources, since his ouster as governor of Conakry on 19 March 2014, Commander Camara is to be appointed a position at a Guinea embassy abroad. Such an appointment would be contrary to the willingness claimed by Guinean authorities to fight against impunity as it would significantly compromise the hopes of the civil parties in this case to see Mr. Camara answer for his actions before the Guinean court. Mr. Camara was formally indicted on 14 February 2013, in an investigation that had opened in May 2012, for “illegal arrest, forcible confinement, intentional assault and battery, abuse of authority, and crimes and offences committed in performing his duties”

As civil parties and on behalf of the victims of torture who have identified Mr. Camara as one of their torturers, and that we defend in this case before the Guinean court, we cannot understand how this ex-governor could escape such proceedings by being appointed abroad, declared Mr. Drissa Traore, FIDH Vice-President.

FIDH and OGDH call upon the investigating judge in this case to take necessary measures to guarantee that Mr. Camara remain at the disposition of the Guinean judicial authorities until the end of the proceedings, in particular by imposing a ban restricting Mr. Camara from leaving Guinea.

Further, our organisations call upon the Guinean authorities to ensure the proper conduct of justice, and urge the judicial authorities to hold the trial of the 2010 torture case as soon as possible. Both Commander Cissé of the gendarmerie squadron in Hamdallaye, where the tortures were committed, and the Commander Gabriel Tamba Diawara of PM3 Camp in Matam have not responded to summonses issued by the court. FIDH and OGDH believe that the conditions for the indictment of those allegedly responsible for these crimes have been met.

"Failing to require the two commanders of the gendarmerie to appear in the shortest possible time, the judicial authorities must end this procedure as soon as possible so that a trial can be held, in respect of the right of the defence and the right to a trial fair, said Mr. Patrick Baudouin, FIDH Honorary President and victims’ attorney. "Just like in the 28 September 2009 stadium massacre case, the slowness of the judicial process seems to contradict the willingness of the Guinean government to put an end to impunity and to guarantee the right to justice for all", added Karim Lahidji, FIDH President.

It is recalled that in October 2010, members of the presidential guard close to the then acting President of the transitional government are alleged to have arbitrarily arrested and detained several individuals. These individuals were then reportedly tortured in the presence and upon the instructions of Mr. Sekou Resco Camara, General Nouhou Thiam and Commander Aboubacar Sidiki Camara, alias “De Gaulle”. Based on the evidence collected,these three were indicted on 14 February, 25 February and 31 July 2013 respectively.

These developments come as the President Alpha Condé is scheduled to meet the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay, in Geneva, on 1 May 2014. Our organisations welcome this meeting and ask that the question of impunity in Guinea be at the heart of the dialogue, and in particular discussions regarding the judicial proceedings of the 28 September 2009 massacre, the repression of peaceful demonstrations in January and February 2007, as well as the fact that the 2010 torture case has not sufficiently progressed within either the expectations of victims or the requirement that justice be rendered within a reasonable time.

This meeting will precede the examination of Guinea by the UN Committee against Torture, to be held on 6 May in Geneva, during which the Guinean state should, for the first time since joining the Convention against Torture in 1989, present a report on the implementation of the Convention.

"The participation of the Ministry of Human Rights and the presentation of the first report of the Guinean State is a positive signal that should not be ruined by a decision to allow a man implicated in crimes against humanity to evade justice, thereby entrenching impunity", said Thierno Sow, OGDH President.

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