Guinea’s Aliou Bah Receives Presidential Pardon After Nearly Two Years in Prison

Aliou Bah, a prominent opposition politician in Guinea, has been granted a presidential pardon after spending nearly two years in prison. His release came on Friday, coinciding with the country’s independence day celebrations.

Bah, who leads the Liberal Democratic Movement, was jailed for insulting General Mamadi Doumbouya, the military leader of Guinea. He was arrested in December 2024 and sentenced to two years in prison in January 2025 for making comments that criticized the government.

His remarks included calls for religious leaders in Guinea to speak out about the political situation and labeling the ruling military council as incompetent. An appeals court upheld his sentence in May 2025, despite prosecutors seeking a longer prison term.

The presidential pardon was part of a decree that freed a total of 217 prisoners. This move comes amid growing concerns from human rights groups and political opponents about the military government’s increasing control over dissent since taking power in 2021.

Doumbouya took control of Guinea in a coup that ousted President Alpha Conde, the country’s first democratically elected leader. Since then, opposition parties have claimed that the military has restricted political freedoms, dissolved major political parties, and suppressed protests.

Bah’s case also reached the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court, which recently urged Guinea’s Supreme Court to release him immediately.