Aliou Bah, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Movement (MoDel), was arrested on Thursday while traveling to Sierra Leone.
Bah’s lawyer, Antoine Pepe Lamah, stated that the arrest was politically motivated, accusing the junta of silencing dissent.
Human rights groups echoed these concerns, condemning Bah’s detention as a violation of freedom of expression.
This arrest is the latest in a series of crackdowns on opposition figures and civil society by the junta led by General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup.
Since the coup, the regime has been accused of human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the suppression of dissent.
The recent disappearance of two opposition figures and the deaths of an ex-army chief of staff and a doctor under unclear circumstances have further raised concerns about the junta’s authoritarian rule.
The arrest of a journalist earlier this month has also highlighted the deteriorating media freedom in the country.
The Guinean opposition continues to denounce the junta’s actions and demand the restoration of democratic rule and respect for human rights.
