February 10, 2009, Washington, DC: A change of government in Guinea has sparked hope for judicial reform and ethical treatment of prisoners in that country, according to a prominent human rights activist there.

Human rights lawyer and prisoner activist Frederic Loua discussed the judicial situation in Guinea during a presentation last week at the National Endowment for Democracy, where he is a Reagan –Fascell fellow.

Mr Loua is founding president of Equal Rights for All (Les Mêmes Droits Pour Tous, or MDT), the only NGO that provides legal assistance to adult detainees in Maison Central, Guinea’s largest prison. This summer, The Advocacy Project (AP) will send two Peace Fellows to Guinea’s capital, Conakry, to work with MDT.

Mr Loua said his country’s judicial system is wracked with problems stemming from years of political mismanagement, police brutality and lack of government funding. With 200 lawyers and 250 judges in a country of 9.6 million, detainees struggle to find judicial representation. Prison infrastructures are in shambles, and lack running water, sanitation and even roofs.

Now, he said, the United States and United Nations must engage in discussions with the new military government in Guinea to work toward social and political justice. Following the death of former President Lansana Conte and the bloodless coup in December 2008, he is hopeful that Guinea can sustain a “fair and transparent” election set for 2010 and draft a new constitution including judicial reforms and higher standards for the treatment of prisoners.

Through MDT, Mr Loua is working to educate detainees about their rights and to free prisoners who are detained beyond their sentencing terms. Recently, he successfully freed a group of 11 prisoners who had been illegally held for 105 years combined.