 |
Moussa
"Dadis" Camara
|
Guinea's ex-junta leader
was blocked from returning to the country, his lawyer said Wednesday. Moussa "Dadis"
Camara's plane was diverted to Ghana, lawyer Jean Baptiste Haba said. Camara
was to make a connection in Ivory Coast, but Ivorian officials said they were
asked by Guinean authorities not to allow Camara and his four companions to
land in Abidjan, Haba said. Camara had reportedly been blocked from going
through Ivory Coast earlier this month, his party said.
Camara
is back in Burkina Faso, where he has been in exile since 2010.
AP report continues:
But
Guinea government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara, no relation to the former
leader, denied blocking his return.
"The
Guinean government has never prevented the return of Dadis to Guinea. He's
Guinean, he is free to return to his country," he said. "It's instead
that there's a problem with the law, and justice is sovereign and
independent."
Camara
seized power in 2008. In September 2009, his presidential guard opened fire on
protesters demanding his resignation, killing at least 156 people. The former
leader was later shot in the head in an assassination attempt by his own
bodyguard before leaving for Burkina Faso.
In
July, Camara was indicted in connection with the massacre, and denied all
charges brought against him, said Haba.
"He
is indicted but not prosecuted or found guilty. And as such, Dadis does not
need a special permission to get home," Haba said, blaming officials for
playing politics.
Camara
has said he will run in Guinea's October presidential election. Candidates must
physically register by Sept. 1.
President Alpha Conde, who
became Guinea's first freely elected president in 2010, is seeking a second
term.
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