By Anadolu staff
ISTANBUL (AA) - The United Nations called on Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities Friday to uphold human rights and release individuals detained following a coup that has plunged the West African nation into political uncertainty.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed alarm over reports of arbitrary arrests, intimidation of journalists and the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters.
“It is critical that the military authorities uphold international human rights norms and standards, including by ensuring all individuals arbitrarily detained are immediately and unconditionally released,” Turk said in a statement.
At least 18 people, including government officials, magistrates and opposition leaders, have been held incommunicado since the military seized power Nov. 26, after presidential and parliamentary elections. Independent radio stations were raided, and access to the internet and social media was disrupted in the nation’s capital of Bissau.
The coup came as President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and independent candidate Fernando Dias claimed victory in the Nov. 23 election.
A group of military officers calling itself the “High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order,” announced it had assumed control of the state, appointing Gen. Horta Inta-A as transitional president and Maj. Gen. Tomas Djassi as chief of the armed forces.
The military said movement restrictions and a nationwide curfew imposed after the takeover would be lifted Friday, and schools would reopen.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies in response to the coup
Turk’s statement echoed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ condemnation of the military takeover and his demand for the immediate restoration of constitutional order.