URGENT ACTION

SOLDIER DETAINED INCOMMUNICADO IN GUINEA

A male soldier from Guinea is being detained incommunicado without charge in the capital, Conakry. Sources inside Guinea say that soldiers tortured him following his arrest, and he is not receiving medical treatment for the injuries he sustained.

Lieutenant Mamadou Korka Dambawas arrested at his home by security forces on the evening of 22 August, and taken to ‘PM3’, a military camp in Conakry. Three days later he was transferred to the Koundara military camp in Conakry, where he is still being held. Sources in Conakry have told Amnesty International that when Mamadou Korka Damba got to Koundara, soldiers beat him around the head and on his feet. As a result of the beating, he is now unable to walk. However, sources report that he has not had access to medical treatment for his injuries.

Mamadou Korka Damba is apparently accused of plotting a coup to overthrow Guinea's military rulers. Eleven other soldiers, who were part of the security detail of Guinea's former President, Lansana Conté, have been detained without charge since January. They were initially held at a military barracks in Conakry before being transferred to an illegal place of detention on the island of Kassa, where they are held incommunicado (see UA 204/09, 29 July 2009, and follow-ups).

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in French or your own language:

• Calling on the Guinean authorities to release Lieutenant Mamadou Korka Damba immediately if he is not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence;

• While Lieutenant Mamadou Korka Damba is in custody, urging the authorities to guarantee that he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and that he is given immediate and regular access to his family, lawyer and all necessary medical treatment;

• Calling for an immediate and impartial investigation into reports that Lieutenant Mamadou Korka Damba was tortured in custody, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 2 NOVEMBER 2009 TO: