 Journalists in front of the prison upon the announcement of the liberation of political prisoners in September 2021. | |
  Conakry central prison Location in Guinea | |
| Coordinates | 9°30′49″N13°42′19″W / 9.51361°N 13.70528°W |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 300 [1] |
| Population | 1,140-2,000(as of 2014-2020, [2] [3] [4] ) |
| City | Conakry |
| Country |  Guinea |
Conakry central prison (French: Maison Centrale de Conakry) is a prison in Guinea located in the capital Conakry, in the commune of Kaloum.
Built during the colonial period, the establishment has, since 1984, been under the governance of the Ministry of Justice of Guinea. [5]
After the 2021 Guinean coup d'état on 5 September, the National Committee of Reconciliation and Development freed 79 political prisoners. [6]
The prison was raided on 4 November 2023, resulting in the brief escape of former military ruler Moussa Dadis Camara, who was being held for his role in the brutal suppression of the 2009 Guinean protests. [7]
The Conakry central prison consists of three main buildings: one for convicts, one for defendants and the main hall. [5]
The prison was designed to hold 300 people. However in 2021, Amnesty International reported the prison held almost 2000 detainees, [4] while, in its 2023 report, the US Department of State described conditions as overcrowded. [1]
Among those who have been imprisoned in the Conakry central prison include:
The Guinean Armed Forces are the armed forces of Guinea. They are responsible for the territorial security of Guinea's border and the defence of the country against external attack and aggression.
The foreign relations of Guinea, including those with its West African neighbors, have improved steadily since 1985.
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973.
Ahmed Sékou Touré was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who was the first president of Guinea from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was among the primary Guinean nationalists involved in gaining independence of the country from France. He would later die in the United States in 1984.
Ibrahima Kassory Fofana is a Guinean politician who served as Prime Minister of Guinea between 21 May 2018 and 5 September 2021.
Camp Boiro or Camp Mamadou Boiro (1960–1984) is a defunct Guinean concentration camp within Conakry city. During the regime of President Ahmed Sékou Touré, thousands of political opponents were imprisoned at the camp. It has been estimated that almost 5,000 people were executed or died from torture or starvation at the camp. According to other estimates, the number of victims was ten times higher: 50,000.
Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, now called Moïse Dadis Camara, is an ex-officer of the Guinean army who served as the third president of Guinea from 23 December 2008 to 15 January 2010. He was the first chairman of the National Council for Democracy and Development, which seized power in a military coup d'état on 23 December 2008 shortly after the death of long-time president Lansana Conté.
Kabiné Komara was Prime Minister of Guinea from 30 December 2008 to 26 January 2010. Until the end of 2008 a director at the African Export-Import Bank in Cairo, Egypt, Komara was announced as the new prime minister in a government radio broadcast on 30 December.
Jean-Paul Alata was a Frenchman who was a political prisoner in Camp Boiro, Guinea from January 1971 to July 1975, later writing a book about his experience which was banned by the French government.
Fabián Nsue Nguema is the most prominent human-rights lawyer in Equatorial Guinea which, under Teodoro Obiang, has been referred to as one of the most repressive regimes in Africa. He is a member of Equatorial Guinea's only legal opposition party, Unión Popular (UP), which frequently denounces human rights violations, and of which he has served as secretary-general. He has defended a number of political prisoners in trials.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Conakry, Guinea.
On 5 September 2021, President of Guinea Alpha Condé was captured by the country's armed forces in a coup d'état after gunfire in the capital, Conakry. Special forces commander Mamady Doumbouya released a broadcast on state television announcing the dissolution of the constitution and government.
Diaka Camara is a Guinean producer, journalist, animator and entrepreneur. She leads CBC Worldwide COM & PROD which produces ''Le Mannequin'', the first TV-Reality show in francophone West Africa.
Mamadi Camara is a Guinean politician who is currently the Minister of Economy and Finance. He is a member of the Majority Rally of the Guinean People Party of former president Alpha Conde.
Fatoumata Yarie Soumah is a Guinean politician. She is a former Minister of Justice.
Diakaria Koulibaly is a Guinean politician. He is a former Minister of Hydrocarbons appointed May 26, 2018.
Events in the year 2023 in Guinea.
On 4 November 2023, armed men raided the Maison Centrale de Conakry prison and broke out former President of Guinea Moussa Dadis Camara and three other officials. The raid killed nine people and injured six others.
Sidiba Koulibaly was a Guinean military officer, diplomat, and politician.
The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution is a Guinean opposition coalition founded in 2019 initially in opposition to proposed amendments to the country's constitution by its then-President, Alpha Condé. It played a leading role in the organisation of the 2019–2020 Guinean protests, a series of demonstrations and civil unrest that occurred throughout the country. Following the 2021 coup d'état by the Guinean Armed Forces, the FNDC has been a prominent voice calling for the restoration of democratic rule in Guinea.
... as of September 7, the Conakry Central Prison held 1,719 prisoners in a facility designed for 300.