Guinea-Bissau’s Imprisoned Opposition Leader Allowed to Travel for Medical Treatment
The military court granted a 90-day medical leave, and ECOWAS had urged the release of detained political figures.
- On Friday, Guinea-Bissau's military government allowed opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira to leave prison and travel to Portugal for medical treatment, with the former prime minister arriving in Lisbon that morning.
- Military leaders arrested the PAIGC leader earlier this month, accusing him of supporting an alleged coup attempt in October 2025, though his family rejects these allegations citing no trial date has been set.
- The court granted a 90-day medical leave with officials set to re-evaluate his status afterward, following pressure from the West African bloc ECOWAS, which urged the government to free political figures to "bolster the credibility" of the transition.
- Late on Thursday, his family representative, Italma Simoes Pereira, said, "Following international pressure my uncle was 'conditionally' released by the military junta and he is on his way to Portugal for medical reasons."
- The junta seized power in a coup last year, replacing President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, claiming it acted to prevent bloodshed between rival supporters for a period of one year.
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14 Articles
Guinea Bissau opposition leader leaves prison for treatment in
BISSAU: Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was being held in prison for alleged involvement in coup attempts, has been released for medical treatment in Portugal, judicial and security sources say. Pereira, leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), was detained when the army overthrew President Umaro Sissoco
Domingos Simões Pereira arrived this morning in Lisbon. PAIGC's leader left the jail after Guinea-Bissau's Regional Military Court decided to suspend his pre-trial detention.
The leader of the opposition in Guinea-Bissau is no longer in pretrial detention and has been in Portugal for several hours: Domingos Simões Pereira arrived early this July 24 in Lisbon to receive medical treatment. The PAIGC leader left prison and his country for "humanitarian and legal" reasons, according to the court order authorizing his travel abroad.
Guinean opponent Domingos Simões Pereira left jail this Thursday, where he was in pre-trial detention.
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