APA- Conakry (Guinea) – The trial of those accused of orchestrating the massacre of over 150 people in a stadium in Guinea (Conakry) almost 14 years ago has hit a snag as lawyers involved in the proceeding demand the payment of their service fees.
By Aboubacar Siddy Diallo
Despite the presence of the 11 defendants and some victims, the hearing on 5 June did not take place.
The temporary suspension of this historic trial, which was supposed to shed light on the 28 September 2009 massacre that left 157 people dead and hundreds of women raped, following a call for nationwide protests by the opposition and civil society organisations, was prompted by the lawyers’ call for a boycott.
Since 29 May, the lawyers have decided to boycott the hearings to demand an improvement in their working conditions and the payment of their fees in accordance with the laws of the land.
This request was not accepted by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
The ministry said it was not in a position to respond positively to the lawyers’ demands.
Despite the US embassy’s promise on Friday 2 June to assist in the organisation of the trial, nothing appears to have changed.
When contacted by APA on Saturday 3 June, Lanciné Sylla, one of the striking lawyers, said there was no prospect of a way out of the current deadlock.
Given the situation, Judge Ibrahima Sory II Tounkara decided to postpone the hearing for two weeks.
The trial will resume on 19 June.
Ex head of state Captain Moussa Dadis Camara and his then aide Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité, known as Toumba, along with several other members of the then military junta, are charged with “murder, assassination, rape, pillaging, arson, armed robbery, assault, torture, kidnapping, sexual violence and indecent assault”.
At the trial, they did not accept responsibility for the mass murder of September 2009.
Politicians who were among the organisers of the bloody demonstration also appeared before Judge Ibrahima Sory Il Tounkara to testify.
ASD/ac/lb/as/APA