The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Republic of Guinea, notably violence towards protestors.
The text adopted in plenary had been tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, ECR and GUE/NGL groups.
There have been mass protest demonstrations in the country since mid-October 2019, mainly by the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), amid opposition fears that President Condé will seek to extend his constitutional powers. The government’s response to these outbreaks has been heavy-handed, and the police have reacted with excessive, undue and illegal force against protesters.
Parliament condemned the violations of freedom of assembly and expression, as well as acts of violence, killings and other human rights abuses. It called on government forces to exercise restraint and allow legitimate and peaceful protests to take place without intimidation. It called on the Government of the Republic of Guinea to launch an independent investigation into the deaths and injuries of demonstrators and that those responsible, including in the police and security forces, be held accountable and not benefit from any form of impunity.
Members regretted any plans to change the country's constitution provisions on presidential term limits and called on President Condé to respect the country's constitution. They called on the Government of the Republic of Guinea to:
- take urgent measures to ensure respect for the right to demonstrate freely and peacefully, to create a safe environment free from harassment, violence or intimidation and to facilitate dialogue with the opposition;
- ensure transparent, credible and free legislative and presidential elections to be held in a timely manner, with the full participation of opposition parties;
- fully respect all its national and international obligations with regard to civil and political rights, including freedom of speech, assembly and association, freedom from torture, ill-treatment and arbitrary detention and the right to a fair trial;
- cease evicting the population from their land or property until they are able to respect the rights of residents, including adequate notice, compensation and resettlement prior to eviction.
Parliament recalled that the solution to the current crisis can only be found in an open and accessible inter-Guinean dialogue between government and opposition groups. It urged the Guinean authorities to work closely with regional organisations, including the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in order to restore fundamental freedoms, investigate human rights violations committed during the protests and bring about a peaceful democratic transition.
The EU was invited to continue its efforts to strengthen the role of civil society and to encourage non-state actors to play an active role, to monitor closely the situation in Guinea and to hold the government accountable for any violations of commitments and agreements under international human rights law.
Parliament called on the Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and the European External Action Service (EEAS):
- to continue the political dialogue, notably under the Cotonou Agreement, with a view to rapidly reducing tensions in the country and to assist, if necessary, in the preparation of peaceful elections, for example through mediation activities and measures to combat violence before and after the elections;
- to work with the Guinean authorities, ECOWAS, the United Nations Office for Human Rights in the Republic of Guinea, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, in order to determine a common strategy to resolve the current political crisis.