A court in Guinea has sentenced former military leader Moussa Dadis Camara to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity. The verdict was announced on Wednesday following a two-year legal process that examined the violent suppression of an opposition demonstration in 2009. According to a commission mandated by the United Nations, Camara’s forces killed at least 156 individuals and raped 109 women during the incident.
The charges included murder, rape, torture, and kidnapping, which were classified as crimes against humanity. Camara and seven other military leaders received sentences, while four additional defendants were acquitted. Over 100 survivors and relatives of the victims testified during the trial, which began in 2022, more than a decade after members of Camara’s presidential guard, soldiers, police, and militias committed the massacre.
The court ordered that the victims be compensated with amounts ranging from 200 million to 1.5 billion Guinean francs (approximately $23,000 to $174,000). Some relatives of the victims hailed the verdict as a victory for justice, while others felt that the punishment for Camara, who escaped from prison last November during a violent breakout but was later recaptured, was insufficient. “The sentences do not reflect the crimes. Our sisters were raped, our brothers were massacred, bodies are reported missing,” said 25-year-old Safiatou Balde, a relative of one of the victims.
Alfa Amadou DS Bah, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the case, emphasized the significance of the ruling. “This is the first time a former head of state has been convicted of such serious crimes, and senior military officers as well,” he stated. “I believe this decision should serve as a warning against impunity in this country.”
Human Rights Watch also expressed satisfaction with the ruling. “This decision sends a clear message to high-ranking perpetrators in Guinea and elsewhere that justice can prevail,” said Tamara Aburamadan, an international legal advisor with the human rights group.
Defense attorneys argued that the reclassification of the charges as crimes against humanity on the day of sentencing deprived the defendants of their right to a fair trial. Both the defendants and the plaintiffs have 15 days to appeal the verdict.
The trial took place amid ongoing repression of both the opposition and the media by Guinea’s military rulers.