Guinea court acquits man arrested over taxi conversation

A Guinean court has acquitted Seydouba Soumah, who was detained for nearly a month following a conversation in a collective taxi. The incident occurred on September 1, 2026, while Soumah was traveling from Coyah to Conakry.

According to reports, an undercover gendarme traveling in the same vehicle claimed that a discussion regarding potential future clashes in Guinea took place. The officer alleged that Soumah responded to the driver’s comments by saying, “I have heard about it too.” This led to Soumah being charged with “attempted disturbance of public order.”

Soumah contested the allegations, maintaining that the conversation actually concerned newly announced government austerity measures rather than civil unrest. On September 30, 2026, Judge Mamadou Saliou Diallo of the Kaloum Court of First Instance ruled that the facts presented did not constitute a criminal offense and ordered his immediate release.

The case had drawn attention from human rights defenders, who raised concerns regarding the limits of freedom of expression and the prevailing political climate in the country.