The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday released a statement calling upon authorities in Guinea-Bissau to bring an immediate end to arbitrary detentions and growing instances of intimidation in the country, warning that the reported abuses undermine fundamental freedoms and may in some cases amount to enforced disappearance. The call followed the authorities’ decision to release six opposition figures from government custody on Tuesday, which the OHCHR called an “encouraging step” while remaining adamant that “more needs to be done.”
“The authorities must put an end to all arbitrary detentions and all forms of intimidation, including physical attacks on human rights defenders and restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly,” UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said. “We call on responsible actors to ensure that all those detained for the exercise of their human rights are released immediately and unconditionally.”
On November 26, soldiers seized control in Guinea-Bissau’s capital, Bissau, amid reports of gunfire near key state buildings in anticipation of pending election results. The military subsequently announced that it had taken “total control” and arrested President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, later stating that it was suspending the electoral process while a new military command assumed authority.
Among those released by the High Military Command (HMC), which led the November 26 coup d’état and seized control of the West African country, are Nhossa Vítor da Silva, Vítor António Oliveira, Paulo Pier Có, Ernesto Ié, António da Costa, and Januário Gomes Betunde. The individuals were close associates of Domingos Simões Pereira, the head of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), and had been detained for 28 days in the cells of a local police station. A communiqué released by the HMC asserted that Tuesday’s release serves as proof of the military junta’s “irrevocable commitment” to an orderly transition process, that “prioritises the supreme interest of the Guinean nation.”
Other detainees currently still being held in the same facility include leaders Pereira, Octávio Lopes, and Marciano Indi from the PAIGC, and Roberto Mbesba from the Social Renewal Party (PRS). According to the HMC communiqué, further releases will occur gradually, based on “national reconciliation” and in accordance with preserving the greater interests of peace, security, and the maintenance of public order in the country.
Tuesday’s release marks the first publicly visible step by authorities to address mounting international concern. The OHCHR insisted, however, that it ought to be followed by concrete action to be considered as “moving the needle” in a significant manner. The UN’s warning also echoes the shared sentiments from the broader international community, with regional bodies such as the African Union and foreign partners impressing upon Guinea-Bissau’s acting authorities the importance of restoring the rule of law.
With international attention on the situation, the next steps now hinge on whether the relevant authorities take quantifiable and visible action to protect basic freedoms beyond the releases announced this week. For the OHCHR and Guinea-Bissau’s other partners, this entails clearer information on detentions, respect for due process, and an end to intimidation.
