Guinea

In 2012, the area surrounding the village of Zoghota in Guinée Forestière was the site of iron ore exploration by VBG, a joint venture owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale and BSG Resources (the company owned by Israeli diamond mogul Benny Steinmetz). Conflicts soon surfaced – the company was alleged to have mismanaged funds and failed to employ local youths, and the local Prefect was believed to have misappropriated the percentage of VBG’s royalty payments that were destined for community development. Moreover, exploration activities were causing environmental damage and desecration to a mountain that was sacred to the local population’s ancestors.

When the community’s attempts to raise their concerns with local authorities were ignored, they turned to a more extreme course of action: they occupied the mine site and prevented company personnel from entering. Reports circulated that the community members were stealing mine assets and vandalizing the property, and the company airlifted security forces to the area to retake the site. The villagers withdrew peacefully, relying on a promise by high-level government officials that they would meet with concerned community members about their complaints.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on August 4, 2012 – the night before the planned meeting, a joint task force of gendarmes, police, and military attacked the village of Zoghota. As the sleeping villagers roused themselves to investigate the invasion, they encountered a hail of gunshots and tear gas canisters. Five villagers were killed on the spot, and sixth died of his wounds in the following days. Over a dozen villagers were arrested, some of whom were tortured by gendarmes. Homes and other buildings were torched, and almost the entire village fled.

Shortly after the attack, a Guinean human rights NGO, Les Mêmes Droits pour Tous (MDT), filed a criminal complaint against the military and police commanders responsible for the attack. However, the complaint never moved forward – the defendants refused to show up in court, and the case was eventually transferred to military jurisdiction, where it languished.

In 2013, the VBG concession was cancelled due to a massive corruption scandal, and mining has never returned to Zoghota. In 2019, however, it was announced that Niron Metals – another company associated with Mr. Steinmetz, would be granted the Zoghota concession.

En juillet 2017, ACA et MDT ont voyagé à Zoghota pour rechercher le statut de la plainte pénale et recueillir des témoignages. Au cours de cette mission, ils ont découverte des indicateurs que VBG avait conspiré avec les forces de sécurité guinéennes à organiser et lancer l’attaque contre Zoghota.

En septembre 2018, MDT a déposé une nouvelle plainte pénale, dans laquelle ils ont ajouté VBG comme défendeur. En october 2018, MDT a déposé une plainte devant la Cour de Justice de la CEDEAO contre la République de Guinée, qui vise à établir que l’Etat est responsable du massacre, torture, et détention illégale des habitants de Zoghota.

En février 2019, le juge d’instruction guinéen a ouvert une information judiciaire, sur la base de la plainte de MDT.

En février 2020, ACA et MDT ont voyagé à Abuja, Nigeria, pour une audience devant la Cour de Justice de la CEDEAO.

Le 10 novembre 2020, la Cour de Justice de la CEDEAO a livré son jugement et déclaré la République de Guinée coupable des violations des droits à la vie; de ne pas être soumis à la torture ou aux traitements inhumains, cruels ou dégradants; à ne pas faire objet de détention et arrestation arbitraire; et à un recours effectif. La Cour a condamné l’Etat à payer 4,56 milliards de francs guinéens (environ 463 000 dollars américains) aux victimes et leurs ayants-droits.

In July 2017, ACA and MDT traveled to Zoghota to investigate the status of the criminal case and collect testimony. Most importantly, we uncovered clear evidence that VBG conspired with the security forces to organize and launch the attack on Zoghota.

In September 2018, MDT filed a renewed criminal complaint, adding VBG as a defendant. In October 2018, MDT filed a lawsuit in the ECOWAS Court of Justice against the Republic of Guinea, seeking to hold the state responsible for the massacre, torture, and illegal detention of the people of Zoghota.

In February 2019, a Guinean court formally opened a criminal investigation into the massacre, based on MDT’s renewed complaint.

In February 2020, ACA and MDT traveled to Abuja, Nigeria, to argue the case before the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

On November 10, 2020, the ECOWAS Court of Justice announced its judgment, declaring the Republic of Guinea responsible for violations of the rights to life; to be free of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; to not be subject to arbitrary arrest or detention; and to an effective remedy. The Court ordered the State to pay 4.56 billion Guinean francs (approximately 436,000 U.S. dollars) to the victims and their surviving family members.