Communiqué  Posté le 11-06-2021 12:00, par Tournons la Page

Activist Oumar Sylla, alias Foniké Menguè, deputy coordinator of Tournons la Page Guinée and responsible for the mobilization of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), was sentenced on 10 June 2021, during his appeal trial, to 3 years in prison for "communication and disclosure of false information, including threats of violence or death".

Tourons La Page, Agir ensemble pour les droits humains, ACAT-France, FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, CRID and CCFD-Terre Solidaire denounce this arbitrary sentence, which once again attests to the criminalisation of the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression and manfiestation by the Guinean authorities, which is very disturbing and contravenes the international instruments protecting these freedoms ratified by Guinea, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified on 24 January 1978.

It is also another example of the lack of independence of the judiciary in Guinea.

Rather than addressing the legitimate concerns of Guinean youth in terms of respect for democracy and the rule of law, Guinean authorities are arresting and condemning dissenting voices within civil society. It is a risky path for society as a whole to stigmatize anyone who opposes the presidency of Alpha Conde.

Oumar Sylla's appeal conviction is based on charges brought against him during his first incarceration between April and August 2020 following his participation in the prime-time program "Les Grandes Gueules" on Radio Espace FM, during which he denounced the arbitrary arrests and abuses that occurred in the city of N'Zérékoré on March 22, 2020; charges that were subsequently dropped.

Arrested for the second time on September 29, 2020, in the middle of the street while on his way to a demonstration organized by the FNDC to protest Alpha Conde's candidacy for a third term, Oumar Sylla's health has deteriorated due to the very difficult prison conditions at Conakry's central prison.

It is a shame to see these repeated violations of human rights and the rule of law. We will continue to mobilize for our Guinean partners and all those imprisoned for their opinions in Guinea, and we demand the immediate and unconditional release of Oumar Sylla and all human rights defenders and political prisoners in Guinea.

Done on June 11

Tournons La Page

Agir ensemble pour les droits humains

ACAT-France

FIDH, dans le cadre de l'Observatoire pour la protection des défenseurs des droits de l'Homme

Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT), dans le cadre de l'Observatoire pour la protection des défenseurs des droits de l'Homme

CRID

CCFD-Terre Solidaire