Trial of Guinea’s former rulers in stadium killings resumes
Former leader, Moussa Dadis Camara, and 10 other ex-military and government officials stand accused in the killings of 156 people and rape of at least 109 women.
The trial of Guinea’s former dictator, Moussa Dadis Camara, over the killings of 156 opposition supporters and rape of at least 109 women at a 2009 rally has resumed after weeks of delays.
The proceedings got under way again on Monday after they had been suspended since May 29 after a boycott by lawyers who said they had not been paid for more than eight months.
It was due to resume on June 21 after an agreement was reached, but was delayed again because of a strike by prison wardens.
Camara and 10 other former military and government officials stand accused of the killings and rapes at a stadium in the capital, Conakry, where tens of thousands of opposition demonstrators had gathered. Soldiers blocked off the exits, fired tear gas into the stadium and opened fire with live ammunition. Mass rapes then ensued in the hours that followed.
Souleymane Camara lost his brother in the attack. Now with the Association of Victims of September 28, he said many who survived later died after being infected with HIV.
The trial of the 11 men accused of ordering the killings and brutality began on September 28, exactly 13 years after the rally.
“This trial is the accomplishment of all the fights we started 13 years ago to seek justice and bring reparations to the victims,” Souleymane Camara said.
Former leader, Camara, has denied ordering the slaughter and blamed “uncontrollable” security forces and a former adviser for leading it.
Despite the trial’s resumption, lawyers said their payment demands are still unresolved.
Defence lawyer, Antoine Pepe Lamah, said they had given the justice ministry until the end of July to fix the problem.
— Aljazeera
