Human Rights Watch says Guinea's new military leaders must hold
elections without delay and hold security forces responsible for past
human rights abuses.
Human Rights Watch says a culture of impunity characterized former Guinean president Lasana Conte's years in power.
Corinne Dufka, the group's West African regional director, says Guinea suffers from "chronic human rights problems."
"There
have been long-standing human rights issues which characterize the
regime of the former president Conte. These include human rights abuses
perpetrated primarily by the security forces, the army and the police,
including widespread extortion, extra-judicial executions, torture
during interrogation," she said.
In a letter to Guinea's new
military leader Captain Moussa Camara, Dufka called on him to organize
elections as soon as possible. Captain Camara came to power in a coup
last month within hours of President Conte's death.
Captain
Camara announced his Cabinet in a nationwide broadcast last week that
promised political, social and economic reform but did not give a date
for elections.
Captain Camara promised to prepare an environment
conducive to free and fair elections in what he called a spirit of
honesty and solidarity.
Dufka says that if Captain Camara take
concrete steps toward free elections it will send a signal of
confidence that he is serious about addressing Guinea's long-standing
culture of impunity.
