Letter to the Prime Minister of Guinea
As leader of Guinea’s newly formed government, we are writing this open letter in order to express our deep concern about your government’s continuing inaction in the face of severe and ongoing human rights abuses in Guinea.
August 14, 2008 Letter
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Guinea: New Leader Should Address Rights Abuses
Urgent Need to End Impunity
Guinea’s new leader should put the country’s chronic human rights problems at the top of his agenda, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souaré made public today.
August 14, 2008 Press Release
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Letter to the Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference
Urging the Organisation to Improve and Strengthen the 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism
Human Rights Watch writes to urge Dr. Ihsanoglu to use his position as Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to support measures at the upcoming Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Dakar, Senegal on March 13-14 that would improve and strengthen the 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism. In particular, we urge the OIC to consider two amendments to the Convention in order to narrow its overbroad definition of terrorism and to make absolutely clear that there is no sanction in Islam for deliberately attacking civilians, whatever the circumstances or justifications.
March 11, 2008 Letter
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Guinea: Thousands of Girls Face Abuse as Domestic Workers
New Government and UNICEF Should Take Action Against Exploitation and Abuse
Thousands of girls employed as domestic workers in Guinea face labor exploitation and physical abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today, on the eve of the International Day of the African Child. The new Guinean government, which took office in March, should fulfill its pledge to improve living conditions for youths, including child domestic workers.
June 15, 2007 Press Release
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Bottom of the Ladder
Exploitation and Abuse of Girl Domestic Workers in Guinea
 | This 110-page report documents how girls as young as 8 years old work up to 18 hours a day as domestic workers, frequently without pay, and are often insulted, beaten and raped by their employers. Domestic work is the largest employment category among children in Guinea. Girls come from as far as Mali, and some are victims of trafficking and forced labor. |
HRW Index No.: A1908
June 15, 2007 Report
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Dying for Change
Brutality and Repression by Guinean Security Forces in Response to a Nationwide Strike
This 64-page report documents how Guinean security forces brutally repressed demonstrations across the country. It details how security forces abused, intimidated and arbitrarily arrested journalists and members of civil society. The report also shows how security forces were responsible for excessive use of force, as well as reckless and undisciplined fire. Security forces’ crackdown on protests in January and February resulted in at least 129 deaths and more than 1,700 wounded, hundreds of them by gunshot. In mid-January, Guinean trade unions called the strike to protest against corruption, bad governance, and deteriorating economic conditions. The strike paralyzed all major economic sectors, including the mining operations that provide a large portion of state revenue.
HRW Index No.: A1905
April 24, 2007 Report
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Guinea: Free Rein to Security Forces Fuels Violence
Government Should Create Independent Body to Investigate, Prosecute Abuses
In responding to nationwide demonstrations, Guinean security forces murdered, assaulted, and robbed the citizens they are entrusted to protect, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The new government must take concrete measures to hold those responsible to account.
April 20, 2007 Press Release
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Guinea: Security Forces Abuse Population Under Martial Law
Government Must Hold Security Forces Responsible for Killings, Rape and Robbery to Account
The Guinean government has failed to control security forces responsible for rapes, robberies and more than 110 killings since mid-January, Human Rights Watch said today. After the imposition of martial law on February 12, security forces committed numerous abuses during house-to-house searches for weapons earlier seized by a small group of violent protesters from police stations and other government installations.
February 15, 2007 Press Release
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Guinea: Respect Rights of Demonstrators
Security Forces Should Exercise Restraint in Responding to Nationwide Strike
As a tense and at times violent nationwide strike continued in Guinea this week, Human Rights Watch called on Guinean security forces to exercise restraint in responding to demonstrators and to ensure that their fundamental right to life, and freedoms of expression and assembly are respected. In the past, Guinean security forces have responded to protests by killing unarmed protesters and attacking bystanders.
January 16, 2007 Press Release
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Guinea: Security Forces Torture, Kill With Impunity
Government Must Investigate, Prosecute Officials Responsible for Abuses
Guinean police and other government security forces routinely torture, assault, rob and sometimes even murder the citizens they are entrusted to protect, said Human Rights Watch in a report released today.
August 22, 2006 Press Release
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"The Perverse Side of Things"
Torture, Inadequate Detention Conditions, and Excessive Use of Force by Guinean Security Forces
This 32-page report, “The Perverse Side of Things: Torture, Inadequate Detention Conditions and Excessive Use of Force by Guinean Security Forces,” documents how police brutally torture men and boys held in police custody. The victims are individuals suspected of common crimes as well as those perceived to be government opponents. Once transferred from police custody to prison, many are left to languish for years awaiting trial in cramped, dimly lit cells where they face hunger, disease and sometimes death.
HRW Index No.: A1807
August 22, 2006 Report
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Guinea: Security Forces Respond to Protests with Killings
Government Must Investigate and Prosecute Those Responsible for Abuses
In response to a nationwide strike protesting increases in the prices of rice and fuel, Guinea’s security forces committed murder, rape, assault and theft against demonstrators and bystanders alike, Human Rights Watch said today.
July 6, 2006 Press Release
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West Africa: Roving Warriors Recruited for New Conflicts
Preventing New Atrocities Requires Ending the Cycle That Drives Regional Mercenaries
Thousands of young men and boys, many of whom have committed atrocities while fighting in West Africa’s brutal civil wars, face re-recruitment into the region’s emerging conflicts. International efforts to disarm these fighters must provide them with alternatives to war.
April 13, 2005 Press Release
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Youth, Poverty and Blood
The Lethal Legacy of West Africa’s Regional Warriors
The lives of “regional warriors” are documented in this 66-page report. Based on interviews with some 60 former fighters who have crossed borders to fight in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, the report explores the forces driving the phenomenon of cross-border mercenary activity in West Africa.
HRW Index No.: A1705
April 13, 2005 Report
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Combating War Crimes in Africa
Testimony of Corinne Dufka before the U.S. House International Relations Committee, Africa Subcommittee, June 25, 2004
I want to thank Chairman Royce and ranking member Payne for inviting my
organization, Human Rights Watch, to address the Africa Subcommittee about the
important topic we are addressing here today: Combating War Crimes in Africa.
June 25, 2004 Testimony
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Small Arms and Conflict in West Africa
Testimony of Lisa Misol, Human Rights Watch Researcher, Before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus
For over a decade, Human Rights Watch has monitored crisis and conflict in West Africa, documented human rights abuses, and pressed for action to stop the abuses.
May 20, 2004 Testimony
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Liberia: Guinea Flouts Arms Embargo
U.N. Security Council Member Facilitates Atrocities
The government of Guinea violated the United Nations arms embargo on Liberia and supplied weapons that Liberian rebels used to commit atrocities, Human Rights Watch charged in a briefing paper released today.
November 5, 2003 Press Release
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Liberia: Where the Arms Come from
Liberia urgently needs more peacekeepers. But West Africa as a whole needs sustained and skillful diplomacy just as badly. The continuing war in Liberia is a regional war, and the United States has lost many opportunities to engage West African governments in ways that might have lessened the suffering this war has caused. The Bush administration should not lose any more chances.
September 17, 2003 Commentary
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The Regional Crisis and Human Rights Abuses in West Africa
A Briefing Paper to the U.N. Security Council
The United Nations Security Council's mission to the West African region comes at a critical juncture. There have been some significant positive developments in the region in the past year, namely progress in the restoration of peace and accountability in Sierra Leone. At the same time, the West African sub-region has experienced two serious setbacks: the outbreak of conflict in Côte d'Ivoire and the resurgence of the Liberian war.
June 20, 2003 Background Briefing
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Guinea: Security of Liberian Refugees under Threat
The United Nations Security Council should extend the arms embargo on Liberia to all rebel groups, and closely monitor the compliance of the Guinean government with that embargo, Human Rights Watch said today.
November 25, 2002 Press Release
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