Statement of the United States of America
as delivered by Sheila M. Leonard
Human Rights Council 34th session
Geneva, March 22, 2017
Thank you, Mr. President.
The United States congratulates the Government of Guinea on its progress toward judicial reform. We also welcome the investigations into the 2009 stadium massacre, including indictments of 14 individuals, and we encourage Guinean authorities to move forward to the trial phase of this process.
However, impunity and corruption continue to challenge the effectiveness of the Guinean judiciary. Government officials who commit abuses often are not prosecuted or punished. Pre-trial detention and prison overcrowding remain a source of concern, as the new prison construction project continues to encounter significant delays.
Although much work remains to be done, we are encouraged by Guinea’s adoption of new criminal and procedural codes bringing Guinea’s laws into conformity with international standards.
We also stress the importance of transparency in the justice system to ensure that information related to high-profile cases, including the 2009 stadium massacre, is shared widely among the population, paving the way for national unity and healing.
We would like to ask the following questions:
What is required to move the stadium massacre proceedings into the trial phase?
Are there other budgetary and logistical constraints that need to be addressed before additional progress can be made?
What is needed to ensure a transparent, credible, and timely judicial process?
Thank you Mr. President.