WASHINGTON, September 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press Statement
Jen Psaki
Department Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 28, 2014
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the 2009 massacre in Conakry, Guinea, when security forces killed more than 150 people, injured thousands more, and publicly raped more than 100 women at a pro-democracy rally. The victims were simply exercising their fundamental freedom to assemble and to protest a repressive military regime that had stifled democratic reform and perpetrated human rights violations and other crimes with impunity.
Since then, Guineans democratically elected a president and legislature for the first time since independence in 1958 and are taking steps to build democratic institutions. Sadly though, little progress has been made to hold the perpetrators accountable and bring justice for the victims of this massacre and their families. Even while the United States rallies the world to support Guinea and its neighbors in responding to and stopping the devastating Ebola outbreak, we continue to call on the Government of Guinea to hold to account those responsible, place indicted government officials on administrative leave, adequately resource the investigative panel, and urge all members of the security forces to fully cooperate with the investigation.
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