The Guinean League for Human Rights (LGDH) today condemned the police detention of political activist Kweba Sane, known as R. Kelly, since last Tuesday, with the family claiming they do not know whether he is “well or sick”.
The League’s complaint was made public in a statement to which Lusa had access.
“LGDH has alarming information regarding the health condition of Mr. Keba Sané, aka R. Kelly, arbitrarily detained by security agents on August 13, 2024, on the orders of Mr. Botche Cande and Mr. José Carlos Macedo Monteiro, respectively, the Minister of the Interior and the Secretary of State for Public Order,” the statement said.
Without citing a source, the league says it has information indicating that R. Kelly was tortured and is in a “critical health condition” requiring immediate medical attention.
“It is important to note that Keba Sane and the other Madem-G15 fighters detained on August 13, 2024, remain held in cells of the Ministry of Interior in harsh conditions and without access to lawyers, medical care and visits from family and friends,” he adds, the League’s statement further reads.
Keba Sané is a prominent activist of the Movement for a Democratic Alternative (Madem G-15) and, according to the Guinean League for Human Rights, he was detained along with other activists at Oswaldo Vieira de Bissau International Airport last Tuesday.
The arrests reportedly took place while Madem-G15 activists were at the airport awaiting the arrival of party leader Braima Camara, who had arrived from Lisbon.
“Faced with a scenario of flagrant abuse of power by the Ministry of Interior, LGDH once again demands the immediate and unconditional release of Keba Sane and the other detained militants, and for the Ministry of Interior to be held accountable for their own lives and physical integrity,” the organization stressed.
Family sources contacted by Lusa confirmed R. Kelly’s detention “as of Tuesday” but said they did not know “whether he is healthy or sick.”
“We only know that he is being held at the 2nd police station in Bissau, we don’t know if he is healthy or sick, every day we try to see him, but they won’t let us in,” said a relative who asked not to be named.
This is the third time that R. Kelly, a Madem-G15 activist who regularly appears on social media, has been detained as part of a political protest.
Police dispersed Madem-g15 activists and journalists as they went to the airport on Tuesday to await Braima Camara’s arrival in the country after a four-month absence from Portugal.
A Home Office source told Lusa that R. Kelly refused to “obey orders given” when he allegedly tried to enter the airport’s arrivals area.