An investigative journalist was abducted by men in security forces uniforms in Guinea's capital, his wife and his lawyer told reporters on Wednesday.
Habib Marouane Kamara, the editor-in-chief of the online investigative outlet lerevelateur224.com, was headed to meet with a businessman and a friend in Conakry on Tuesday evening, his wife, Mariama Lamarana Diallo, told reporters on Wednesday in the city.
Diallo said that, according to the friend who was with her husband, they were stopped by men wearing security forces uniforms in a pickup.
The policemen broke the rear windshield and took Kamara out of the vehicle by force, the friend said, an account which was corroborated to The Associated Press by a witness who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions.
'Speechless'
The men beat Kamara with batons until he fainted, and then picked him up and threw him in their truck, and drove off, Diallo said. Kamara's friend was also forced into the police vehicle, but was then released and has gone into hiding.
Kamara's wife and his lawyer, Salifou Beavogui, said they have not heard from Kamara since yesterday.
“I am speechless," Diallo said before breaking into tears.
Guinea has been led by a military regime since soldiers in the West African nation ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has pushed for a return to civilian rule and elections are scheduled for 2025.
Election date yet to be announced
Earlier this year, the military authorities dissolved dozens of political parties and placed two major opposition ones under observation. The transitional government has yet to announce a date for elections.
Guinea is one of a growing number of West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Earlier this year, the military junta in Burkina Faso extended its transition term by five years.
Mamadi Doumbouya, who leads Guinea, overran the president three years ago, saying he was preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastising the previous government for broken promises. However some critics have found Doumbouya no better than his predecessor.
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