Guinea Bissau's Parliament Rejects Amnesty for Coup Perpretrators

A law granting amnesty to those involved in the Guinea Bissau's April 2012 military coup was rejected by the national parliament on Tuesday, September 10, 2013.

On the eve of the opening of the special session, the Guinean Human Rights League had repudiated the amnesty law proposed by the transition government in an open letter to National Assembly President Ibraima Sory Djalo.

The letter was shared online by human rights organization Casa dos Direitos [pt] (House of Rights) and prolific Guinean blogger António Aly Silva [pt], who also took a stand against the amnesty law:

De acordo com a organização, a aprovação da proposta de lei de amnistia pode “gerar sentimentos de injustiça susceptíveis de conduzir à reincidência e perpetuar a impunidade numa sociedade já fortemente marcada por uma longa história de violência”.

According to the organization [Guinean Human Rights League], the approval of the proposed amnesty law can “generate feelings of injustice that may result in recurrence and perpetuate impunity in a society already strongly marked by a long history of violence.”

A major human rights report by the League released earlier this year (see Global Voices report) thoroughly addresses the long history of violence and impunity, focusing on the justice system and the armed forces.

Elections in Guinea Bissau are expected to take place in late November 2013, a year and a half after the transitional government headed by President Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo came to power following the coup d'etat.

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