After three (3) days of interrogation at the bar of the criminal court of Dixinn, relocated to the Court of Appeal of Conakry, on the massacre of September 28, 2009, François Lounceny Fall, expressed a feeling of “great relief” in front of the press waiting for him to leave the courtroom. The former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs took the opportunity to urge the other political leaders, present at the stadium during the massacre, to come and tell their part of the truth.
Guineematin.com offers you, below, its full reaction:
“I admit that it is a great relief for me. Because for 13 years I’ve been waiting for this moment. Being one of the leaders who mobilized the militants for this meeting of September 28, I felt obliged, following all that happened, what our militants endured, at the stadium of September 28 September, I have always considered it our duty to come before this court first to encourage a trial. Because the crimes that were committed that day are monstrous crimes. We murdered, we killed dozens of people, we raped dozens and dozens of women and thousands of people who were injured in an absolutely peaceful demonstration in a closed enclosure. The barbarity of this action for 13 years, I have always wanted to give before a court my share of truth.
I did not wait for this trial, I published a book at Harmattan where I recounted the events of September 28 from 2012-2013. I did interviews all over the world to talk regarding the massacres of September 28 and the opportunity was given to me to come, I did not hesitate despite all the pressure from several people. I wanted to assume my responsibilities by coming to tell the court as a civil party, what I know regarding the massacre of September 28.
I expect all the political leaders to come. Because there was still a collective responsibility. I am happy that this trial is taking place. Because our country, as you know, in its tumultuous history, there have been many mass crimes in this country, but which have remained in oblivion. And people also tended to put the September 28 massacre in that group of forgotten mass crimes. We aspire to reconcile the Guineans.
What I said here, this trial is not directed once morest a region or once morest an ethnic group. I tell you in all sincerity and I hope that this trial will serve to reconcile Guineans and that it also encourages Guineans to review history so that the black pages that are still under silence, that we can talk regarding it with courage , accept what had happened. The day we are going to exorcise these things, you will see that Guinea is going to put itself in place. There will be a new Guinea, reconciled with itself.
What I said in court, you can’t turn victims into executioners. But it’s fair game. They (the defense lawyers) have no other angles of defense. The leaders of the living forces who had made an official request to meet, we did not go to the streets to demonstrate. We wanted to hold a rally, make a statement. That’s all we wanted and it’s our legitimate right. Unfortunately, we were not heard, it was rather brutality that was the response that was given and the consequence, you know it…”, said the former Prime Minister.
Interview by Mohamed Guéasso DORÉ for Guineematin.com
