Guinea court charges army colonel with murder

Guinea court charges army colonel with murder

A Guinean court has filed charges against a top army officer over the killing of scores of protesters and mass rape of women during a 2009 demonstration against military rule, rights groups said.

Colonel Moussa Tiegboro Camara, secretary of state in charge of fighting organised crime, is the highest-level official yet to be charged over the massacre, one of bloodiest events in the West African state's history.

The move comes amid broad international pressure on President Alpha Conde, elected in 2010, to investigate the crackdown on thousands of people who had gathered in a Conakry stadium to protest against the then-ruling military junta.

More than 150 people were shot, stabbed, bludgeoned or trampled to death, while more than 100 women were raped, according to Human Rights Watch. A U.N.-led probe concluded the abuses likely constituted crimes against humanity.

Human Rights Watch said forces commanded by Camara "took an active part in the massacre, and, to a lesser degree, in the sexual violence that followed."
Junta rule in the country ended after elections in 2010 that brought Conde, a veteran opposition figure, to power.

Reuters/Ugo