Government silence fuels fears for disappeared children in Guinea, UN experts say – JURIST

United Nations human rights experts on Thursday condemned the enforced disappearance of three children and an adult in Guinea, warning that the victims appear to have been targeted in retaliation against exiled activist and musician Elie Kamano. The experts called on Guinean authorities to immediately disclose the victims’ whereabouts, ensure their safety, and conduct an independent investigation into the abductions.

According to the experts, masked men believed to be members of Guinea’s security forces entered a private residence in the Matoto market area of Conakry on November 11, 2025. The assailants reportedly arrived in official-looking vehicles and abducted three teenagers aged between 14 and 16, along with an adult relative. The UN specialists stated that the operation appeared to be a deliberate reprisal linked to the victims’ family relationship with Kamano, a prominent critic of Guinea’s military-led government currently living in exile.

The experts noted that the families have received no information regarding the victims’ fate or whereabouts for more than six months despite repeated requests directed to Guinean authorities. They warned that the continued refusal to acknowledge the victims’ location may constitute enforced disappearance under international law. They warned that the continued refusal to acknowledge the victims’ location raises concerns under Articles 1 and 2 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which prohibits enforced disappearance and describes it as deprivation of liberty carried out by state agents followed by concealment of the victim’s fate or whereabouts, effectively placing individuals outside the protection of the law.

The disappearance of three minors also raises concerns under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 19 obligates states to protect children from violence, abuse, and intimidation, while Article 37 prohibits arbitrary detention and unlawful deprivation of liberty. The experts stated that abducting children to pressure or punish political opponents constitutes a particularly grave form of collective punishment prohibited under international human rights standards.

The experts stated, “The abduction and subsequent enforced disappearance of children as a means of punishing or pressuring a parent or relative is an act of exceptional cruelty,” adding that prolonged uncertainty regarding the victims’ fate may amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment for family members.  The UN specialists urged Guinea to launch a prompt, impartial, and independent investigation capable of identifying and prosecuting those responsible.

The allegations emerge amid growing international concern regarding political repression in Guinea following the 2021 military coup led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. Since the coup, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have documented allegations involving arbitrary detention, restrictions on protests, intimidation of journalists, and reprisals against opposition figures and civil society activists.

Guinea’s security forces have previously faced scrutiny for serious human rights abuses. International investigators examined the 2009 Conakry stadium massacre, during which security personnel killed more than 150 protesters and committed widespread acts of sexual violence, as possible crimes against humanity. More recently, rights groups have warned of shrinking civic space and increased pressure on political dissent under military rule.

Kamano, known for publicly criticizing Guinea’s authorities and military leadership, reportedly fled the country after facing threats connected to his activism. Human rights experts and international monitoring bodies have repeatedly warned that enforced disappearances are frequently used in authoritarian settings to intimidate critics, silence dissent, and spread fear within broader communities.