Amnesty International said weapons supplied from abroad were used by Guinea's armed forces to perpetrate a "horrific” massacre of opposition supporters last year, in a report published Tuesday.

The report "reveals how weapons and security equipment supplied from South Africa, France and elsewhere provided the tools for the crimes perpetrated on September 28, 2009," said the rights group in a statement.
 

The rights group also directed harsh criticism at the role of France and raised questions over military assistance to its former west African colony.
 

Troops killed more than 150 opponents of Guinea's erstwhile military regime at a rally in a Conakry stadium. Soldiers shot, stabbed and beat protesters, publicly raping women.
 

"In the past, some governments providing military assistance have seemed more intent on protecting their interests with the Guinean authorities than protecting the human rights of the Guinean people," said Amnesty's Gaetan Mootoo.

"Any future assistance must be founded on international human right standards."

Crime against humanity
The rights group's criticism came after the International Criminal Court said Friday the massacre amounted to a crime against humanity. A United Nations commission of inquiry had already reached a similar conclusion.
 

In the report, Amnesty questions the French government's decision this month to resume military cooperation with Guinea, saying the move might contravene a European Union arms embargo on the west African country.
 

It also raises concerns about France's past military assistance to Guinea and highlights the export of tear gas and anti-riot weapons from France, which the group says were not made known to the country's parliament.

The rights group called for urgent reform of the security forces and warned the country may otherwise slide into a new era of human rights violations.
 

"Reform of the security forces based on international human rights standards is urgently needed to avoid a repeat of the horrific events of last September," said Mootoo.
 

Source: AFP