In November 1981, the Government of the Popular and Revolutionary Republic of Guinea accepted a request by Amnesty International to undertake a mission to discuss its concerns regarding violations of human rights in Guinea.
For many years Amnesty International had wanted to establish direct contact with the Guinean authorities, given the gravity of its concerns and its desire to obtain information regarding the judicial status and fate of large numbers of individuals subjected to political imprisonment, which had hitherto received no official publication. Amnesty International also wanted to make the authorities familiar with its mandate and to impress upon them the impartial quality of its activities worldwide. This objective appeared particularly necessary, as the authorities had publicly stated in 1978 their conviction that Amnesty International's activities were politically biased.
An Amnesty International delegation, composed of Jose Zalaquett, chairman of its International Executive Committee, and Richard Elsner, a member of its International Secretariat, was received in Conakry, Guinea's capital, between December 16 and 23, 1981. During that time, the delegation was received on three occasions by the President of the Republic, Ahmed Sekou Toure, and several meetings were held with the Minister of Justice, Dr. Sikhe Camara. One meeting was held with the Minister of the Interior and of Security, Mr Sekou Cherif, who authorized the delegation to visit one of Guinea's major centers of detention, Camp Boiro prison in Conakry.
The first meetings between the government and the delegation made it possible for both parties to explain their principal concerns with regard to human rights. The authorities stressed that Guinea had achieved independence in 1958 in such circumstances that it had been necessary to guard against violent attempts to overthrow their administration continually, and that these attempts were fostered by foreign powers hostile to Guinea and supported by Guinean exiles. The abortive armed invasion of Conakry in 1970 led by Portuguese troops was, according to the authorities, supported and assisted by numerous internal accomplices, who were tried and sentenced according to the wishes of the Guinean people. Many of those who were released had fled overseas and were plotting new violent attempts to overthrow the Guinean Government. The authorities expressed the view that Amnesty International was being used by these exiled opponents and by hostile foreign governments to "destablize" the Guinean Government.
Amnesty International's mandate, structure, and working methods were explained to the authorities by the delegation. Particular emphasis was laid on the independence of the organization from all governments, nongovernmental organizations, and political ideologies. The delegation explained to the authorities that the activities of the organization were directed to fulfilling the three aims specified in its mandate, namely:
Amnesty International's concerns regarding Guinea were discussed with the authorities during the mission; new information and views supplied by them are described below.
Amnesty International had appealed to the authorities for the release or the prompt trial, depending on the case, of 22 political detainees. Amnesty International believes that none of these detainees has been tried and that some of them are prisoners of conscience. A list containing the names of these 22 detainees was submitted to the authorities by the delegation, with a request that Amnesty International be given information on the judicial status of each detainee.
The authorities stated to the delegation that each of the 22 detainees had been tried, convicted and sentenced, and they accepted to provide Amnesty International with information regarding the judicial status of each detainee in the months following the mission. The authorities also stated that there were no prisoners of conscience in Guinea, and that political prisoners in Guinea were guilty of involvement in or complicity with violent attempts to overthrow the government. As of October 6, 1982, no information regarding the 22 detainees had been supplied to Amnesty International by the Guinean authorities.
The delegation submitted to the authorities a list of 78 "disappeared" prisoners, known not to have been sentenced to death and not reported to have been released, and appealed for information regarding their fate. The authorities accepted to supply this information within the months following the mission, but also stated that the delegation would not be given information regarding prisoners who had died in prison. The authorities informed the delegation that information regarding political detention was deliberately kept secret, so as to deprive opponents of the government of material which could be used for propaganda purposes. The autorities would not accede to the delegation's request to consult the registre (register) of Camp Boiro prison, which by law should contain the names of every prisoner who is taken into custody, who is released or who dies in prison As of October 6, 1982, no information from the authorities regarding the 78 "disappeared" prisoners had been received by Amnesty International.
The delegation expressed its overall concerns to the authorities with regard to the procedures followed by the Revolutionary Tribunals, and appealed for the respect of the inalienable rights of all detainees. The authorities stated to the delegation that the exceptional nature of the Tribunals and of the procedures used by them was justified by the exceptional nature of the circumstances in which they were convened. The authorities also informed the delegation that the Revolutionary Tribunals are permanent bodies, which are empowered to hear all cases involving offenses against the security of the State. The delegation was not able to obtain clarification from the authorities with regard to the role of the Ministry of Justice in the control of the use of the State's powers of detention in political matters. Information available to Amnesty International prior to the mission suggests strongly that the Revolutionary Commission and the security forces are subject to no limitations or controls in the field of political detention. Individuals arrested for political reasons are reportedly denied any access to the judiciary, and remain in detention solely at the orders of the executive arm of the government.
In its publications, Amnesty International has expressed its deep concerns with regard to the use of torture in Guinea, which has been regularly used against political detainees as a means of intimidation and of obtaining "confessions." The organization also made public its concern with the extremely harsh conditions of detention existing for political detainees at Camp Boiro prison in Conakry and Keme Bouraima Camp in Kindia, where the standards of nutrition, sanitation, and medical care were reported to be grossly deficient. However, in the Amnesty International Report 1981, the organization reported that the conditions at Camp Boiro prison had become less harsh. In particular, nutrition had improved and overcrowding had decreased.
The authorities accepted the delegation's request to visit Camp Boiro prison and to interview five prisoners of the delegation's choice. The delegation stressed to the authorities that this visit did not constitute a detailed inspection of existing conditions of imprisonment, which could only be undertaken by competent bodies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The authorities informed the delegation that permission to inspect Guinea's prisons would be denied to the ICRC.
After a brief visit to the bloc, prison block, at Camp Boiro prison, the delegation was permitted to interview five prisoners of its choice, without prison officials being present. Of these prisoners, four were arrested in August 1977 and one in August 1979. The confidentiality of interviews made in such circumstances will be respected by Amnesty International, but it can be revealed that all five prisoners declared that they were in good health and that the quality of the food provided to prisoners had improved substantially in the last few years.
The delegation informed the authorities of its unconditional opposition to the death penalty, which it considers to be a violation of the right to life and a cruel, inhuman, and degrading form of treatment. This penalty remains applicable in Guinea for such crimes as murder, stealing, and state security offenses. The authorities stated to the delegation that they did not share Amnesty International's opposition to the death penalty, but stressed that every individual sentenced to death had the right to appeal for clemency to the President of the Republic.
[ Home | Victimes | Perpétrateurs | Bibliothèque | Recherche | BlogGuinée ]
Contact :info@campboiro.org
webGuinée, Camp Boiro Memorial, webAfriqa © 1997-2011 Afriq Access & Tierno S. Bah. All rights reserved.