Guinea, Conakry: The SOS Torture Litigator’s Group in Africa strongly condemns the kidnapping and torture suffered by Mr. Mohammed Traoré, former President of the Guinean Bar

Lomé, Geneva - July 1, 2025. The SOS Torture Litigator’s Group in Africa strongly condemns the kidnapping and torture suffered by Mr. Mohammed Traoré, former President of the Guinean Bar, and calls for a credible investigation to shed light on the circumstances of his kidnapping.

The SOS-Torture Litigator’s Group in Africa expresses its deepest concern regarding the kidnapping and torture suffered by Mr. Mohammed Traoré, former President of the Guinean Bar, which occurred during the night of June 20-21, 2025. The circumstances of his kidnapping, as reported by the Conakry Bar Association, suggest that Mr. Traoré was illegally kidnapped and held captive by seven armed and hooded men. The kidnappers beat Mr. Traoré’s daughter during his kidnapping and threatened him before forcibly removing him from his home to an unknown location. Mr. Mohamed Traoré was left behind and found with his back covered in wounds a few hours later in Bangouya, about fifty kilometers from Conakry. During his arrest and detention, he was subjected to violent blows with batons, belts, slaps, and reportedly received 500 lashes, as well as insults and death threats. His face was also forcibly covered with a garment in an attempt to suffocate him.

The men who committed this kidnapping and torture are believed to be agents of the National Council for Development (CNRD), the ruling military junta led by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, who regularly faces accusations of torture and ill-treatment against political opponents and civil society activists. A resigning member of the National Transitional Council and known for his critical stance on human rights violations in Guinea, the torture inflicted on Mohamed Traoré was intended to punish and intimidate him. They constitute a flagrant violation of Article 11 of the Transitional Charter, which prohibits torture, as well as the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which the Republic of Guinea has ratified.

In accordance with Article 1, Chapter 1 of the Guinean Transition Charter, the SOS-Torture Litigator’s Group in Africa demands that the principles of justice and accountability be applied in order to bring Mr. Traoré's kidnappers to justice and to contribute to Guinea's self-imposed mission of "fighting impunity" (Article 2, Chapter 2, Transition Charter).

The SOS-Torture Litigator’s Group in Africa reiterates that no one should be threatened, harassed, arrested, or tortured for their stance on respect for human rights, as guaranteed in particular in Article 23 of the Guinean Transition Charter, which enshrines freedom of opinion and expression. Mr. Traoré's kidnapping is not an isolated act; It is part of a series of kidnappings and acts of violence against political opponents and human rights activists, as illustrated by the kidnapping and acts of torture suffered by activist Abdoul Sacko in February 2025.

While the Public Prosecutor's Office announced on June 23, 2025, that an investigation would have been opened by the Public Prosecutor at the Dixinn Court of First Instance, the Litigator’s group calls on the Guinean authorities to conduct this investigation in an independent, impartial and credible manner, in order to bring to justice all those responsible for these heinous acts and to offer full and complete reparation to Mr. Traoré. Guinea must put an end to impunity and guarantee the protection of these citizens against acts of torture and ill-treatment, in particular those who, like Mr. Traoré, are committed to defending the rule of law and human rights.

Signatories:

The following lawyers are signatories to this letter:

• Djerandi Laguerre Dionro, President of the Chadian Bar Association

• Ferdinand AMAZOHOUN, Collective of Associations Against Impunity in Togo (CACIT)/Togo

• Claude AMEGAN, Collective of Associations Against Impunity in Togo (CACIT)/Togo

• Yacouba DOUMBIA, Ivorian Human Rights Movement (MIDH)/Ivory Coast

• Aissa RAHMOUNE, Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADH)/Algeria

• Christian Loubassou, Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT-Congo)/Republic of Congo

• Felix NKONGHO, Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA)/Cameroon

• WEMBOLUA Henri, Alliance for the Universality of Fundamental Rights (AUDF) / DRC

• Annie Masengo, Human Rights Defenders Network (RDDH) / DRC

• Salomon Nodjitoloum, Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT / CHAD)

• Armel Niyongere, SOS-Torture Burundi / Burundi

• Jeanne d’Arc Zaninyana, Collective of Lawyers for the Defense of Victims of Crimes under International Law Committed in Burundi (CAVIB) / Burundi

• Kadidiatou Hamadou, Association for the Defense and Protection of Children and Women (ADEPE-F / ESPOIR) / Niger

• Chantal Lenga, Lawyer at the Bar of Burkina Faso

• Dorcas Mirette Nkongme, Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA)

• SOUILAH Mohsen, SANAD Centers/Tunisia

• Frédéric KWAMBA TSIHINGEJ, AFIA MAMA/DRC

Other signatory partner organisations:

- African Assembly for the Defense of Human Rights (RADDHO)

For more information, please contact: Guy Valère BADANARO, Coordinator of the Judicial Intervention Group/SOS-Torture in Africa; Collective of Associations Against Impunity in Togo (CACIT) / Tel: (+228) 92 18 67 92. Email: guyvalre1@gmail.com

The SOS-Torture Litigator’s Group in Africa is a group of lawyers from the OMCT SOS-Torture network whose aim is to contribute to strengthening the prevention, accountability, and redress of cases of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. It is made up of 16 African lawyers and is sponsored by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Collective of Associations Against Impunity in Togo (CACIT).