Students Protest Amid School Closures in Guineahttps://t.co/j815J6dFo3
— CDD West Africa (@CDDWestAfrica) February 21, 2017
Peaceful Assembly
The Associated Press reported that at least five protestors were killed on 20th February 2017, after a more than seven-week strike by a teachers' trade union led to school closures and sparked student protests in the capital, Conakry. Police used tear gas against the students who were armed with sticks and rocks, and who came out on the streets to express frustration over the school closures. The government blamed the violence on the protesters. The Media Foundation of West Africa in turn condemned the state's use of excessive force against the students.
Expression
On 1st February 2017, police arrested a journalist reporting on poor conditions in a hospital. Mariam Kouyaté, a reporter with Radio Lynx FM, had acquired the necessary permissions to enter the hospital but was later removed from the premises by the police. Kouyate described her experience of being harassed and aggressively interrogated by the police while in detention.
#Guinea's nationwide strike, protest and outbreaks of violence explained https://t.co/Fl1cvKoHFi pic.twitter.com/V3P0guLPeB
— African Arguments (@africaarguments) February 27, 2017