Guinean lawyer and former president of the Guinean Bar Association, Mohamed Traoré, was abducted and tortured overnight between June 20 and 21, 2025, in what appears to be a politically motivated attack.
Traoré, a prominent legal figure and outspoken critic of both the ruling government and the opposition, had recently resigned from the National Transitional Council (CNT), sparking national debate.
According to reports from local media and family members, hooded assailants stormed his residence late on June 20. While they initially refrained from harming him, one of the attackers slapped his daughter when she attempted to intervene.
During his abduction, Traoré was subjected to brutal treatment. A statement from the Guinean Bar Association disclosed that he was pinned down, whipped as many as 500 times, beaten, suffocated with a cloth, and threatened with death.
One attacker reportedly said, “If it were up to me, I would kill him and that would be the end of it,” framing the assault as a warning tied to his resignation and continued criticism of Guinea’s governance.
Traoré was later found abandoned in Coyah, about 50 kilometers from Conakry, with severe injuries requiring urgent medical attention.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemned the attack in strong terms, describing it as a “barbaric attack” against a citizen exercising his right to free expression.
“We demand that the government of Guinea, as a matter of urgency, initiates investigations into the assault against Traoré and ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable,” MFWA said in a statement. “Failing to act on this heinous crime would signal tolerance for violence against civic expression and embolden future abuses.”
The organization also called on national and regional human rights groups to pressure the authorities to pursue justice and prevent impunity in such cases.
