Guinea's ex-military ruler jailed over stadium massacre

CONAKRY,  Guinea 

A court in Guinea has sentenced former military ruler Moussa Dadis Camara to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity.

The charges stemmed from one of the worst massacres in the nation's history - the killing of more than 156 people after troops opened fire at a rally held in September 2009 to demand a return civilian rule.

Camara took power in a coup when long-time President Lansana Conté died in 2008, but he fled the country after surviving an assassination attempt not long after the massacre.

He returned from exile in Burkina Faso in September 2022 to face justice, insisting that he was innocent.

Camara was convicted along with seven of his military commanders, while four others were acquitted.

The massacre took place when tens of thousands of people had packed a stadium in the capital, Conakry, to press him not to stand in a presidential election.

Many were shot, stabbed, beaten or crushed in a stampede as security forces fired teargas and charged into the stadium.

Scores of women were also raped.

Camara was charged with murder, rape, torture and kidnapping, but these were reclassified to crimes against humanity.

He denied any involvement in the stadium massacre. His lawyer described the ruling as politically motivated and said they would appeal.

An election in 2010 ushered in a decade of civilian rule, which brought Alpha Condé to power as president. He was overthrown in a coup nearly three years ago in the wake of protests after his controversial third term.