Guinea trial to start on anniversary of 2009 massacre

The West African state of Guinea announced that the long-awaited trial over a 2009 massacre will begin on September 28, 13 years to the day after an event that marked a turning point in its history.

The proceedings will "revisit our history" and ensure "we all come out of this trial with a new vision of Guinea, where impunity will no longer have its place," Justice Minister Alphonse Charles Wright said at a press conference.

He said he hoped for a "process of reconciliation."

On 28 September 2009, a group of NGOs and opposition parties organised a rally at a stadium in the capital Conakry.

Thousands gathered there to protest against the possible presidential candidacy of then-junta leader, Moussa Dadis Camara, who had seized power in a December 2008 putsch.

Camara's government sent in the army, which carried out a bloody crackdown in and around the compound.

At least 157 people were murdered and 109 women raped, according to a UN international commission of enquiry.

The victims' testimonies are harrowing, with the UN enquiry concluding that the massacre was a "premeditated act" by the junta.

A judicial investigation ended in December 2017 and dozens of defendants, including Camara, were referred to a court.

Despite recurring commitments under former president Alpha Conde's regime, victims and relatives have been waiting for the trial ever since.