Guinea opens illegal gold mining trial, 1,200 people arrested

Hundreds of defendants on trial in Conakry. Illegal gold miners, but also sitting in the front, 22 former government employees. All were holding various positions in the northeastern Siguiri region, where Guinean authorities last week launched a vast security operation against illegal gold mining. Accused of corruption and environmental crimes, the now-fired civil servants all pleaded not guilty. They cannot go after people who were appointed barely four months ago and inherited this situation. As for the corruption allegations, the individuals arrested told the court they didn't even know my clients. Over 1200 suspected gold miners were also being tried for illegal activities. Around 200 were present in the courtroom, still in the same clothes they wore during their arrest in early November. The massive legal proceedings were part of an ongoing government crackdown against illegal mining, a practice which Guinean authorities are trying to completely eradicate. But a lawyer for the defendants said the state was focusing on the wrong target. The real authors are elsewhere. The real culprits are not my clients. We must not use them as scapegoats. They are not responsible. My clients are not the ones who are enriching themselves illegally. It's an illicit enrichment effort. The mass arrests last week also saw thousands of mostly illegal workers flee to neighboring Mali. Bamako on Saturday said over 160,000 people had crossed over from Guinea and warned of a humanitarian emergency in the making.