Synopsis "Guinea: Human Rights"
Guinea is a republic. In 2010 the country inaugurated Alpha Conde, the candidate of the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) Party and longtime opposition leader, as its first democratically elected president since independence from France in 1958. The country began its second step toward democratic transition on September 28, when voters participated in the country's first competitive and inclusive legislative election, selecting members of the National Assembly. The election took place after more than two years of delays, including violent street protests in 2012 and 2013. International, regional, and domestic observers generally regarded the legislative elections as free and fair, despite technical shortcomings. No party emerged with a majority, but the ruling party won a plurality of seats and was expected to be able to form a majority with its coalition partners. Unlike the presidential elections of 2010, the results were accepted peacefully after the Supreme Court validated the final results on November 15. On December 31, a presidential decree called the National Assembly to be seated on January 13, 2014. Authorities failed at times to maintain effective control over the security forces. Despite tighter rules of engagement and a prohibition on the use of lethal force during street protests, elements of the security forces on occasion acted independently of civilian control. Security forces committed human rights abuses. The most significant human rights advances included the first competitive and inclusive legislative elections in the country's history. The most serious human rights problems included: security force killings and use of excessive force against demonstrators; arbitrary arrest and detention, including long periods of pretrial detention and denial of fair trials; and life-threatening prison and detention center conditions, resulting in deaths. Other human rights problems included: arrest and indefinite detention of opposition party supporters; security force attacks on the homes and offices of opposition leaders or supporters; arbitrary interference with family and home; restrictions on freedoms of the press and assembly; corruption at all levels of government; violence and discrimination against women and girls, including forced and early marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C); discrimination against children, persons with disabilities, and members of certain ethnic groups; human trafficking; and forced labor, including by children.
