Finding Moussa Dadis Camara guilty of crimes against humanity, a court in Guinea on Wednesday condemned the former military dictator to 20 years in jail. The allegations result from the 2009 massacre of about 150 persons in the capital Conakry during a pro-democracy march.
Starting in November 2022, more than 100 survivors and relatives of victims testified in the trial; more than a decade after the massacre under pressure from families and campaigners calling for justice. The court declared that the charges—which included kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder—had been changed to become crimes against humanity.
In the well-publicized trial, seven additional accused military leaders were judged guilty of the same offenses. Four more were found not guilty. Following the death of long-time President Lansana Conté, Camara seized authority in a coup in 2008. Soldiers opened fire on protestors in the stadium who were opposing his intentions to stand in presidential elections the next year.
The junta at the time asserted that “uncontrolled” army members had committed the rape and murders. But according to a Human Rights Watch investigation, Camara’s senior advisers were at the site and did nothing to halt the slaughter. Many survivors claimed they were unable to flee the firing since his presidential guard surrounded the stadium and closed the exits.
Keep Reading
After surviving an assassination attempt not long after the slaughter, Camara left the nation; nonetheless, he returned from exile in September 2022 to face punishment, adamant he was innocent. Camara was released by gunmen who attacked the national prison late last year, but he was back in detention hours later with his counsel alleging he had been kidnapped.
Celebrating the “historic verdict as an example to the world and to Guinea, where the illegal use of firearms and excessive use of force during demonstrations remains commonplace,” rights organization Amnesty International has said.
