Guinea’s President Mamadi Doumbouya pardoned former leader Moussa Dadis Camara for health reasons after his conviction for the 2009 stadium massacre.

Former Guinean President Moussa Dadis Camara was granted a pardon on Friday by the current President, Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, according to a presidential decree.

The decree, read on national television by presidential spokesman Gen. Amara Camara, cited "health reasons" as the basis for the decision. "At the proposal of the Keeper of the Seals, a presidential pardon is granted to Mr. Moussa Dadis Camara for health reasons," the spokesman stated. He further noted that the Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Yaya Kairaba Kaba, has been tasked with implementing the measure.

Moussa Dadis Camara, who came to power through a coup in 2008, was convicted of crimes against humanity by the Dixinn Criminal Court in 2024 for his involvement in the September 28, 2009, massacre. The attack resulted in the deaths of 157 people and the rape of 100 women.

Following an assassination attempt a few months after the massacre, Camara fled into exile, remaining abroad for more than a decade before eventually returning to Guinea. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the incident.

The massacre took place when tens of thousands of people gathered at a stadium in Conakry to protest against Camara’s potential candidacy in the upcoming presidential election. Security forces responded with brutal force, firing tear gas and charging the crowd, leading to many being shot, stabbed, beaten, or crushed in a stampede.

The presidential pardon was announced shortly after the government revealed plans to compensate the victims of the massacre.