The 28 September 2009 Case – A gendarme arrested and charged with rape, a first in Guinea

FIDH and its member organization OGDH, the Organisation Guinéenne de défense des Droits de l’Homme, that were the plaintiffs in the Conakry stadium massacre case of 28 September 2009, were satisfied that a Guinean gendarme was charged with rape on 30 April 2013 and placed in detention.

This decision was a major step in the right direction in this case, since it was the first judicial decision of its kind concerning a perpetrator of the sexual violence, which was committed on a large scale at the Conakry stadium on 28 September 2009

For the first time in three year I fell asleep easily. I hope that the courts will go all the way so that all the women who were subjected to the same fate can break their silence and, at last, have their rights recognized ” said one of the victims.

There will be the period of ‘before’ and ‘after’ the indictment. Now, thanks to the courage of one woman who went to tell the judges what she had been subjected to in the stadium and the actions of the lawyers’ alliance that is supporting the victims, the courts are sending a strong signal to the persons who committed these crimes ”, said Thierno Sow, President of OGDH.

AFP reportage of 10 May 2013 after the first charges were brought

FIDH and OGDH encourage the Guinean authorities to continue backing efforts to fight against impunity and to support the judges who are investing the case.

Read the full press release 28 September 2009 massacre: A gendarme arrested and charged with rape, a first in Guinea

For further information, consult the report in French: Lutte contre l’impunité : des avancées remarquées, des actes attendus

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