Opposition Leaders in Guinea Jailed

Five opposition leaders in Guinea have been sentenced in connection with a series of protests that hit the country last week.

Abdourahamane Sanoh, the leader of the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), was sentenced to a year in prison alongside four others from this party who received six-month sentences.  They were charged with insurrection and disturbing the public peace.

Two other co-defendants were acquitted.

The protests they are accused of orchestrating were sparked over fears that President Alpha Condé plans to amend the constitution to allow himself to run for a third term in office.

The authorities had not pre=approved the protests, as is required by law, and the police clashed violently with demonstrators, leading to the deaths of about ten people.

President Condé was first elected in 2010 on a manifesto of hope and democracy.  Guinea emerged from two years of military rule and nearly 25 years of authoritarianism when his predecessor Lansana Conte died in 2008.

Since he first came to power, Condé has sought to repress dissent and crush freedom of speech.