Rights group blames government for attacks on refugees

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday blamed the Guinean government for alleged beatings and rapes of refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia who were among 5,000 West Africans detained in Conakry at the weekend. The rights group released testimonies from more than 40 victims, including 10 women who said they were raped. Of these, seven reported that they were gang-raped. "Many of these women were raped and sexually assaulted in Sierra Leone, and they fled to Guinea seeking safety," said Rachael Reilly, refugee policy director at Human Rights Watch. "It is unacceptable that they should fall victim to similar atrocities in their place of refuge." The New York-based group called on the Guinean government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to investigate the reported attacks. One man died while in detention, Human Rights Watch said. "We can go down now and investigate the issues, including reported beatings and rapes," Chrys Ache, UNHCR's resident representative in Conakry, told IRIN on Wednesday. "That was not our immediate priority. What we were interested in first of all was to make sure no more persons were detained. They have all been released." UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski said in Geneva on Tuesday that UNHCR was condemning any violence against refugees and was calling on the government and people of Guinea to respect the refugees' rights. Victims said their assailants weilded sticks, rocks, iron bars, electric cords and knives. The violence followed cross-border attacks by armed men from Liberia and Sierra Leone, and a subsequent plea by Guinea's President Lansana Conte to protect the country, which youths interpreted as a call to militancy. "Victims and witnesses said Guinean police and army officers were present during some of the attacks, and sometimes participated," the rights group said.