Guinean Opposition Leader Sentenced to Two Years in Crackdown
TLDR
- A Guinean court has sentenced Aliou Bah, leader of the Liberal Democratic Movement (MoDel), to two years in prison
- The sentence was given for "insulting and defaming" junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya
- The ruling, delivered in Conakry on Tuesday, has drawn condemnation from opposition figures, rights groups, and international observers
A Guinean court has sentenced Aliou Bah, leader of the Liberal Democratic Movement (MoDel), to two years in prison for "insulting and defaming" junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya. The ruling, delivered in Conakry on Tuesday, has drawn condemnation from opposition figures, rights groups, and international observers.
Bah was accused of urging religious leaders to speak out against the junta and calling the ruling National Committee of Reconciliation and Development (CNRD) "incompetent." He was arrested in December while traveling to Sierra Leone.
Rights group Amnesty International labeled the sentencing as a violation of freedom of expression and called for Bah’s immediate release. Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo decried the trial as a “judicial farce” aimed at silencing dissent.
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Key Takeaways
Bah’s sentencing is the latest in a series of actions by General Doumbouya’s junta to suppress dissent. Since Doumbouya’s 2021 coup, opposition figures, civil society leaders, and journalists have faced arrests, detentions, or exile. The junta, which pledged to restore constitutional order by the end of 2024, has yet to deliver on its promises, prompting criticism from the United States and international groups. An electoral roadmap for 2025 remains vague, with mounting pressure for clear timelines for a constitutional referendum and democratic elections. As protests and opposition actions grow, Bah's sentencing underscores escalating tensions between the junta and Guinea’s civil society, raising concerns over the country’s political future.
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