After Human Rights Watch released a report on police torture and inadequate conditions of detention by Guinean security forces, the Guinean Ministry of Justice responded by organizing a four-day seminar examining some of the abuses we exposed. A significant number of Guinean judges, police officers, and prison administrators, as well as other officials from the Ministry of Justice, including the Minister of Justice himself, met last month to discuss some of the key issues we raised in the report, as well as the need for better compliance with the Guinean Penal Code and international conventions ratified by Guinea. At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Justice reportedly acknowledged the government’s failure to guarantee important protections provided under Guinea’s constitution, including the prohibition of torture.
Since beginning our work on Guinea in January 2006, Human Rights Watch has conducted three missions to the country, produced one extended press release covering a brutal crackdown on student demonstrators, and published our report just last month. Building on this work, we will continue our advocacy with the Guinean government to press for better accountability for abuses perpetrated by police and security forces.
