The United Nations has urged Guinea’s military authorities to remove restrictions on political parties and media outlets ahead of elections scheduled for December.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said Thursday that the bans were “unacceptable” and called on the junta to ensure the transition back to civilian rule is carried out in line with international human rights standards.
“The military authorities in Guinea must first and foremost lift the unacceptable bans on political parties and media outlets,” Turk said in a statement issued from Geneva. “It is critical for the transitional authorities to ensure that processes towards restoring constitutional rule are conducted in line with international human rights norms and standards, including on public participation, inclusiveness and transparency.”
Since seizing power in a 2021 coup that ousted President Alpha Conde, junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya has tightened control over the country. Protests have been banned since 2022, several parties and media houses have been suspended, and opposition figures have been jailed, exiled, or silenced.
Turk’s office also raised concerns about arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, saying at least 10 people remain missing after being detained by security forces. Among them are activist Oumar Sylla, known as Fonike Mengue, and journalist Habib Marouane Camara, who both vanished last year.
The UN rights chief further demanded the release of all those arbitrarily detained and called for independent investigations into cases of disappearance. He also criticized the pardon recently granted to former president Moussa Dadis Camarra, who had been sentenced to 20 years for crimes against humanity over his role in the 2009 massacre in Conakry.
“International law prohibits pardons for such serious crimes,” Turk stressed.
The statement came a day after Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah reaffirmed the junta’s pledge to hold legislative and presidential elections this year. A new constitution, approved in a referendum last Sunday, paves the way for the polls but also allows Doumbouya to run for president.