Guinea will begin the trial of those accused of a 2009 massacre of opponents in the capital Conakry on Sept. 28, Justice and Human Rights Minister Alphonse Charles Wright said.
(Bloomberg) — Guinea will begin the trial of those accused of a 2009 massacre of opponents in the capital Conakry on Sept.
28, Justice and Human Rights Minister Alphonse Charles Wright said.
The start date, initially set for Sept. 26, was postponed to allow the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to attend the opening of the trial, Wright said Friday on state-broadcaster Radio Television Guineenne.
The new start date is the 13th anniversary of the massacre, which occurred when security forces opened fire on protesters who had gathered at a sports stadium to demonstrate against military rule led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.
Camara has been charged, as well as his aide Aboubacar Diakite.
Other defendants include Colonel Claude Pivi, who was minister in charge of presidential security, and Colonel Moussa Tiégboro Camara, then minister in charge of the fight against drugs and organized crime.
At least 150 people were killed and dozens of women were sexually assaulted, according to a UN commission of inquiry.
“The trial will allow President Moussa Dadis Camara to deliver his part of the truth,” his lawyers said in a statement, adding they expect to obtain a “pure and simple acquittal” for him.
Guinea holds the world’s biggest reserves of bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminum.
(Updates with statement from former leader’s lawyers in next-to-last paragraph.)
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