Guinean activist Bella Bah sentenced to six months in prison

Guinean activist and educator Abdourahmane Bella Bah has been sentenced by the Dixinn Court of First Instance in Conakry to six months in prison, with five months suspended. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 40 million Guinean francs (approximately 4,000 euros).

The court also mandated the deletion of Bella Bah’s Facebook account, which was the source of the posts that led to charges of defamation and insult via an information technology system. The sentence is lighter than the one-year prison term requested by the prosecution.

During the trial, Bella Bah acknowledged some of his writings but contested that they were directly aimed at El-hadj Mamadou Saliou Camara, the first imam of the Great Mosque of Conakry. While the defense argued for acquittal or leniency, the imam himself had publicly stated he forgave the activist and called for his release. The case has been closely monitored by defenders of public liberties in Guinea.