UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all people arbitrarily detained in Guinea-Bissau, following reports of at least 18 people being unlawfully detained and incommunicado detention, as well as allegations of excessive use of force and threats against the press. According to the “Ya Democrats” website, international concerns escalated after the recent military coup that overthrew President Amr Sissoko Embalo, which generated demands to protect basic rights in the country, in a context of deep political and social tensions.
According to the Guinean newspaper O Democracy, Horta Ntam, after assuming the presidency on Thursday as transitional leader, officially announced on Friday the appointment of former Finance Minister Elidio Vieira T as prime minister. Vieira T, who is considered close to former President Embalo and served as campaign manager for his last election, will temporarily assume this position and will also retain control of the finance portfolio, according to the decree signed during the first hours of the new interim government. The Transitional Council, which calls itself the supreme military command to restore national security and public order, also appointed Thomas Djasi as head of the armed forces shortly before announcing the formation of the executive body.
The ‘Ya Democrat’ media reported that shortly after the appointments were formalized, the transitional authorities lifted the curfew and blocked social media networks, which were restrictions imposed after the military coup led by Ntam. These measures were maintained during the critical days following the coup, including the temporary suspension of internet access between Wednesday and Thursday, periods during which several independent stations also stopped broadcasting by order of the junta.
The military coup took place after the elections were held last Sunday, the results of which were annulled after Embalo and Fernando Dias da Costa, the main opposition candidate, declared victory. Domingos Simões Pereira, the historic leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde and a favorite of the opposition, was excluded from the race by the electoral college, a circumstance that led his party to support Dias da Costa in an attempt to remove Embalo from power. Sunday’s elections passed peacefully, according to sources reported by the O Democracy newspaper, despite the absence of Simões Pereira.
Horta Ntam assumed the presidency for a one-year transitional period, as proposed by the junta, and justified his intervention by claiming there was a “coup plan supported by drug traffickers” whose goal would be to “seize Guinean democracy.” This accusation came after the Electoral College annulled the election results and the Council stopped the process before announcing the winner, a measure that sparked immediate rejection from international organizations and foreign powers.
As “Oh Democrats” confirmed, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed that after the coup, there were arrests and detentions considered arbitrary, including government officials and opponents, in addition to threats and intimidation towards journalists and the media. Volker Türk expressed concern about the temporary suspension of several independent stations and the use of live ammunition by security forces during the protests following the coup. In the words of the UN representative, “military authorities must ensure full respect for fundamental freedoms for all, including the right to peaceful assembly,” and reiterated international condemnation of the riots.
This week’s coup joins two previous attempts that Embalo has denounced since he assumed the presidency on February 27, 2020, in the country’s first recorded peaceful transfer of power since its independence from Portugal in 1974. Embalo, who succeeded José Mario Vaz in office after defeating Simões Pereira in the second round of elections, has consolidated his leadership amid legal challenges and demands from the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, the dominant political force in the country. The country. For decades. Despite a history of instability, the current military intervention has paralyzed the political process and generated a national and international call to restore constitutional order “immediately and unconditionally,” as UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed.
The context of these measures included the closure of independent media, the suspension of Internet services, and the imposition of restrictions on the right to assembly, cases that included testimonies of arrests without procedural guarantees, and repression during demonstrations against the military junta. Al-Turk and other international agencies stressed the importance of the new authorities respecting international human rights frameworks and releasing detainees without legal support.
The United Nations system described the cancellation of the election results and the suspension of the process before the final announcement as a democratic setback. The questionable electoral process, which was held on Sunday, took place in an atmosphere of tension due to the exclusion of important candidates and the constant threat of military intervention, in a country that has historically faced difficulties in maintaining institutional stability and political rotation without violence.
In the detailed reports collected by “Oh Democrats”, the military council confirmed its intention to promote a transitional period that would allow the restoration of order and security, despite the fact that complaints of repression and the closure of spaces for freedom of expression prompted the intervention and monitoring of international organizations. In parallel, civil and political organizations continue to demand the restoration of rights, the reopening of the media and the cessation of arrests, while Guinean society continues to live in a climate of uncertainty awaiting progress in returning to normal institutional life.
Thus, the situation in Guinea-Bissau has generated a rapid response from international actors concerned about the deterioration of rights and freedoms in the country, which is experiencing a new phase of political transformation after several years of failed attempts to achieve stability and reforms. Control of information, closure of radio stations and police repression have been presented as immediate challenges to the junta and its leaders, in a scenario in which domestic and global pressures point to the need to restore civilian government and democratic principles.