Army colonel charged over mass rapes in Guinea

Army colonel charged over mass rapes in Guinea

2012-02-11 16:35:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- A Guinean court has filed charges against an army colonel accused of being responsible for mass rapes that occurred during a pro-democracy protest in the country's capital in 2009. He is the highest-ranking official yet to be charged.

Lieutenant Colonel Moussa Tiegboro Camara was charged by a national court for the atrocities committed on September 28, 2009, during an opposition rally at a soccer stadium in Conakry. Guinean security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least 150 people, while 109 women were raped or otherwise sexually abused.

Margot Wallström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, welcomed the news, saying she is pleased by the new Government's commitment to fight impunity and prevent and deter sexual violence. "Justice in Guinea has been delayed, but this signals that it cannot be denied," she said.

"The recent charges are a welcome step in the right direction. They signal that no official is above the law, and no citizen is below it," she added.

Wallström, who met with rape survivors during her visit to the country in November 2011, added that the legacy of the massacre and mass rape is far from over. She also urged the Government to protect the victims and their families and to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.

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