Moussa Dadis Camara, Guinea’s ex-military leader, on Monday rejected charges of being responsible for a 2009 stadium massacre, as he spoke for himself for the first time in a long-awaited trial.
Tens of thousands of people had gathered in a stadium on Sept. 28, 2009, in what was a pro-democracy rally in Conakry, and demanded that he should not stand in the 2010 presidential election.
Over 150 people were killed in the rally, while he was the leader of Guinea. Among them were those who were shot, beaten, stabbed, or pressed in a stampede while security forces were releasing teargas after charging into the stadium. As per human rights groups and some survivors, many women were raped.
Along with Camara, 11 other men have been on trial and accused of organizing the massacre. They are facing a number of charges, including murder, torture, assault, and rape.
Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, Camara’s former aide-de-camp and one of the accused, has also rejected the charges in court in September and blamed Camara for planning and ordering the violent subjugation of protestors.
Camara has pleaded not guilty to the entire set of charges against him and on the other hand, has blamed mischievous army men for the killings.
Accusing previous allies of plotting against him in a harsh statement, he said, “The events of September 28 were a cleverly orchestrated plot to remove me (from power).”
However, he did not reveal anything about the scenarios of the events. Guinea was taken over by a new military junta, which threw former president Alpha Conde from power, in a coup last year.
