According to the Rally for the Guinean People (Rassemblement du peuple guinéen, RPG)-also known as the Rally for the People of Guinea (Rassemblement du peuple de Guinée)-on the eve of a symposium organized by the RPG for 9 June 2003 in Conakry, police arrested [translation] "a hundred militants;" some were beaten, while others were taken to [translation] "places unknown" (Afrique Express 17 June 2003). Foreign participants were expelled from Guinea, while the RPG leader, Alpha Condé, was forced [translation] "to return to his residence in Conakry" (ibid.; see also Radio France Internationale 9 June 2003). Afrique Express indicated that [translation] "police had used tear gas to disperse a hundred RPG activists at Conakry airport" (17 June 2003). A report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees indicated that "security forces treated protesters harshly" during the incident (Aug. 2003), without providing any further details.

During a 20 October 2003 interview, Alpha Condé said that the head of the Supreme Court of Guinea had falsified information in his file by adding "the Condemned mention," thereby preventing Condé from running in the December 2003 presidential election (Radio France Internationale).

However, according to Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003, the political rights of former political prisoners, including Alpha Condé, were restored in a general amnesty granted by the Guinean National Assembly in November 2003 (25 Feb. 2004). The same source indicated that there were "no reports of political prisoners" (Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003 25 Feb. 2004).

Opposition parties, including the RPG, contested the holding of the 21 December 2003 presidential election, in which President Lansana Conte "polled more than 95 percent of votes cast" (Radio France Internationale 26 Dec. 2003). Alpha Condé "has sworn never to touch Guinean soil as long as Lansana Conte is in power" (FBIS Report 24 May 2004; see also Radio France Internationale 27 Apr. 2004). According to sources, Condé was still outside the country in May 2004 (FBIS Report 24 May 2004; see also Radio France Internationale 27 Apr. 2004) and was living in Paris in mid-December 2004 (Aminata.com 16 Dec. 2004).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Afrique Express. 17 June 2003. "Guinée : Vifs incidents à la suite d'un colloque socialiste réunissant plusieurs personnalités étrangères." http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/OUEST/guinee/guineepol/272vifsincidents.htm [Accessed 30 Dec. 2004]

Aminata.com. 16 December 2004. "Interview de Mr Mohammed SYLLA, marchand de fripes, trésorier et membre du comité directeur de la section RPG de Boffa." http://www.aminata.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=779 [Accessed 3 Jan. 2004]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003. 25 February 2004. "Guinea." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27731.htm [Accessed 30 Dec. 2004]

FBIS Report. 24 May 2004. "Highlights: Guinea Weeklies, Bimonthlies 24-29 May 04." (FBIS-AFR-2004-0601 3 June 2004/WNC)

_____. 9 June 2003. "Program Summary: Guinea." (Dialog)

Radio France Internationale [Paris, in French]. 27 April 2004. "Guinea: Ex-Premier Toure Said Detained Because of His Rising Popularity." (BBB International Reports/Dialog)

_____. 26 December 2003. "Guinea: Conte's Campaign Manager Rejects Opposition Charges of Electoral Fraud." (FBIS-AFR-2003-1226 29 Dec. 2003/WNC).

_____. 20 October 2003. "Guinea: Opposition Leader Says Current Deadlock May Lead to Coup d'État." (Dialog)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). August 2003. Guinea: Early Warning Analysis. http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/publ/opendoc.pdf?tbl=RSDCOI&id=3f5d7e26d&page=publ [Accessed 29 Dec. 2004]

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica.com, Amnesty International, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Rassemblement du peuple de Guinée, UNHCR, World News Africa.