Less than a year after the conclusion of a landmark first trial, the Guinean justice system opened a new legal chapter this Thursday, December 18, in Conakry. Seven new defendants are to answer for their alleged involvement in the atrocities committed in 2009.

A new group in the dock

This second trial targets seven individuals prosecuted for serious crimes, including complicity in murder, rape, kidnapping, and torture . Among them, the situation differs:

1. Four defendants present: Colonel Bienvenu Lamah (gendarmerie officer detained since the end of 2022), Jean-Louis Kpoghomou, Georges Oulémou and Thomas Touaro.
2. Three accused are on the run: Colonel Gono Sangaré, Jacques Maomy and Blaise Kpoghomou are being sought.

A reminder of a first historic trial

This new hearing follows a lengthy two-year trial. Last March, it resulted in the conviction of former dictator Moussa Dadis Camara to twenty years in prison for crimes against humanity (before he was pardoned by General Mamadi Doumbouya). Seven other co-defendants also received sentences of up to life imprisonment.

A look back at one of Guinea's darkest episodes

On September 28, 2009, an opposition demonstration in a Conakry stadium was brutally suppressed. The death toll, documented by the UN, is chilling:

1. At least 156 dead (from bullets, bladed weapons or bayonets).
2. Hundreds injured.
3. At least 109 women were raped , some having been held captive for weeks as sex slaves.

Context: This new trial aims to continue the work of remembrance and justice for victims whose real number probably exceeds official estimates.