GUINEA BANS PROTESTS
Sep 30th, 2009 by admin
Guinea’s military leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara has prohibited all supposedly “subversive” gatherings and demonstrations after scores of people were killed or injured during a stadium rally on Monday in the capital Conakry. State security forces opened fire at around 50,000 opposition supporters who were protesting at the occasion. Human rights activists say at least 157 people died, while the government puts the official death toll at 57. Witnesses accuse soldiers of raping women in the streets and stabbing protesters with knives and bayonets. Camara blamed opposition politicians and what he described as “uncontrollable” elements in the army for Monday’s violence. IRIN News reports that Guinean soldiers continued to fire at people on the streets of Conakry yesterday, looting shops and breaking into homes.
