Guinea’s state television has aired footage of Colonel Claude Pivi, the country’s most wanted fugitive, following his arrest and extradition from Liberia after a high-profile prison escape in November 2023.
Claude Pivi, a former security officer under ex-dictator Moussa Dadis Camara, had been sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the 2009 Conakry stadium massacre.
Guinea’s Justice Minister Yaya Kairaba Kaba confirmed Pivi’s extradition, stating that he was being held at Coyah prison, 40 kilometers from the capital, due to his poor health. Pivi, who suffers from diabetes, was moved to Coyah because the facility meets international standards for prisoner care. However, Pivi’s lawyer, Abdourahmane Dabo, disputed the claim, asserting that his client had not been taken to Conakry.
The massacre, which occurred on September 28, 2009, saw at least 156 people killed and over 100 women raped during an opposition rally. Pivi had been one of four individuals, including Camara, who escaped from Conakry’s central prison in November, though all except Pivi were recaptured the same day.
Images broadcast by the junta-controlled television showed a frail Claude Pivi being assisted out of an armored vehicle by security forces, marking a dramatic turn in the aftermath of one of Guinea’s darkest historical events.