Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the leaders of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), who were arrested on charges of organising street protests in Guinea to denounce attempts by President Alpha Conde to prolong his stay in power.
By Sadjo Diallo
The arrests took place last Saturday at the home of Abdourahmane Sanoh, the Coordinator of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), a coalition set up in April by opposition parties, unionists and members of civil society organizations.
In addition to Mr. Sanoh, other FNDC officials, such as Ibrahima Diallo, Sekou Koundouno and Mamadou Bailo Barry, were also arrested as they were preparing to hold a press briefing on the modalities of the call to protest.
Similarly, a dozen heads of sections of the FNDC in some districts of the capital were also arrested and detained.
Amnesty International urged the Guinean authorities “to take all necessary measures to facilitate peaceful demonstrations and allow the population to express themselves peacefully without fear of reprisals.”
If the humanitarian organization’s statement is anything to go by, the widespread use of “tear gas and live ammunition” during Monday’s clashes between protesters and security forces in Conakry “left at least four people dead and several others wounded.”
AI said “considering this disastrous situation, the authorities must take immediate measures to break the vicious circle of violence before the situation gets out of control”.
On Wednesday, clashes still raged between protesters and the police in Conakry neighborhoods considered strongholds of the opposition.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, FNDC, while calling on citizens to continue their protests countrywide, reported seven demonstrators killed in Conakry and the town of Mamou, 245 km south of the capital.
The government still maintains that two people had died including a police officer during the unrest.
SD/cat/fss/as/APA