The International Criminal Court (ICC) has commended the recent verdict by the Dixinn court in Conakry, which convicted former Guinean military head of state, Moussa Dadis Camara, and six of his co-accused for their roles in the tragic events of September 28, 2009.
On Wednesday, the Guinean justice system found Moussa Dadis Camara, Moussa Tiegboro Camara, and Aboubacar Diakité guilty of crimes against humanity due to their command responsibility.
Seven of the ten accused present at the reading of the deliberations were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years. Claude Pivi, a fugitive who escaped from prison on November 4, 2023, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Dixinn court reclassified the facts attributed to Moussa Tiegboro Camara, Aboubacar Diakité (known as Toumba), and Moussa Dadis Camara as crimes against humanity due to their command responsibility.
However, Dadis Camara’s lawyers have described the court’s decision as “unfair.”
The trial, which began on September 28, 2022, brought charges including murder, sexual violence, acts of torture, kidnapping, sequestration, looting, and other offenses. Closing arguments concluded on June 26, 2024.
The September 28, 2009, incident involved the violent repression of a political demonstration by the opposition against the possible participation of military leader Dadis Camara in the presidential election of January 31, 2010.
An international commission of inquiry mandated by the United Nations reported 157 deaths, 109 women raped, and several injured and missing.
Report by Aliou Conde