West African Bar Association (WABA) has expressed displeasure over the indiscriminate abuse of the fundamental rights of the people and incessant attacks on the opposition in Guinea-Bissau.

The association, in a statement ascertained that the head of government in Guinea-Bissau is responsible for the numerous human rights violations is the country, adding that the judiciary and Guinea Bissau Bar Association have been viciously attacked by the government in the ploy to silence dissenting views and the rule of law.

According to WABA, they have received reports that the President of the Bar Association, Januário Pedro Correia is currently being threatened alongside his family members on the account of his Press Statement released on January 31, 2025, where he addressed journalists and the public on the government’s disobedience to the rule of law, criticised President Umaro Embalo whose tenure expired in February 2025 for refusing to conduct elections or put in place a transition process, the lack of independence of the judiciary and political interference in the Administration of Justice System in Guinea-Bissau.

“We are also reliably informed that some lawyers who are defending military officers and civilians detained following the alleged coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau, are being persecuted for carrying out their constitutional responsibilities. In furtherance of the calculated assault and terror unleashed on the legal profession, President Umaro Sissocó Embalo forcefully evicted the Guinea Bissau Bar Association from its Secretariat headquarters and the building was allocated to a government agency, despite subsisting court orders against the unlawful eviction.

“It is important to emphasise that the responsibility of a lawyer involved in a criminal defence is to defend his client with the best of his ability without let or hindrance. It is therefore, unfortunate that lawyers who are defending persons accused of committing crimes are being prosecuted for discharging their lawful duties to their clients,” the statement read.

WABA condemned the draconian tendencies of the government of Guinea Bissau which continue to violate the fundamental rights and dignity of individuals and professional institutions, stating that they have led to the suffering, displacement, and loss of life of some individuals, with little or no accountability.

The association therefore called for cessation of all forms of abuse, unrestricted access to legal representation for those prosecuted, independent and impartial investigation, international support and intervention.