Guinea’s Civilian Prisons Plagued by Abusive Conditions

Conakry, Guinea - The country’s civilian prisons are characterized by deplorable conditions, including poor sanitation, malnutrition, inadequate medical attention, and overcrowding. This is according to a recent report by human rights organizations, which highlights the dire situation faced by inmates in Guinea.

Abusive Conditions in Prisons

• Poor sanitation
• Malnutrition
• Inadequate medical attention
• Overcrowding

The report also notes that corruption and official complicity within law enforcement agencies hinder efforts to combat various crimes. Security forces, including police and gendarmes, engage in misconduct such as disregarding legal procedures and extorting money from citizens at roadblocks, prisons, and detention centers.

Border Control Challenges

Guinea’s long land borders and limited coastline pose challenges for effective border policing. While the country upholds constitutional provisions for freedom of movement, police and security forces often engage in extortion from travelers, impeding their mobility and compromising their safety.

• Limited coordination between interagency border control units and states
• Vulnerability of border communities

International agencies have been promoting a joint program to strengthen border management, social cohesion, and cross-border security in the Parrot’s Beak area, where the territories of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia meet. However, the region continues to witness disjointed coordination between interagency border control units and states, as well as the vulnerability of border communities.

Economic and Financial Environment

Guinea’s poor record-keeping, weak law enforcement, corruption, and informal economy create an environment conducive to money laundering and its associated crimes. The country has passed a new law to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT), but the lack of a functioning Financial Intelligence Unit hampers efforts.

• Widespread bribery in business transactions
• Limited access to finance
• Reliance on cash transactions outside the banking sector

The banking sector is also plagued by challenges, including widespread bribery in business transactions and limited access to finance. This has led to a reliance on cash transactions outside the banking sector, exacerbating problems.

Civil Society and Social Protection

Forced labor victims, including children, are exploited in domestic servitude and sex trafficking. Only one international organization capable of providing shelter to trafficking victims is responsible for hosting returning workers.

• Lack of formal policy to encourage victims to assist in investigations and prosecutions against their alleged traffickers
• Inadequate convictions in the judicial system

The government lacks a formal policy to encourage victims to assist in investigations and prosecutions against their alleged traffickers, leading to inadequate convictions in the judicial system. Reports indicate that due to these challenges, victims and their parents are reluctant to file claims against traffickers.

Organized Crime

Guinea’s progress in combating trafficking has been hampered by limited resources, political and social unrest, and the impact of the pandemic. The country’s lack of dialogue between government, political stakeholders, and civil society actors has led to a deterioration of the sociopolitical situation.

• Limited resources
• Political and social unrest
• Impact of the pandemic

Efforts are being made to strengthen civil society and media capacities, but inclusivity and engagement with all stakeholders continue to hinder the peaceful transition. Civil society groups have faced challenges seeking patronage from international donors or local actors, which puts them at risk of political co-optation.

In a country where whistleblowing is hostile, restricting free expression of dissenting voices, the Transition Charter’s guarantees of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association remain unfulfilled.