A/HRC/19/49 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 17 January 2012 Original: English Human Rights Council Nineteenth session Agenda items 2 and 10 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Technical assistance and capacity-building Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Guinea * Summary In her previous report on Guinea (A/HRC/16/26), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights made several recommendations to the Government, including that it take the necessary steps to fight impunity, prosecute the perpetrators of the human rights violations of 28 September 2009, establish a national human rights institution in conformity with the Paris Principles, follow up on the universal periodic review recommendations and undertake reform of the security sector consistent with human rights. During the period from January to December 2011, the Government took steps towards implementing some of the above-mentioned recommendations, including on security sector reform. Nonetheless, reports continue on human rights violations, some of which were investigated by the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), including allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention, harassment and threats against human rights defenders, and breaches of the right to freedoms of assembly and association. Most of the allegations of human rights violations were attributed to the security forces. OHCHR in Guinea collaborated with the Government of Guinea, civil society organizations and other national and international stakeholders to elaborate strategies to address human rights challenges in the country. The transitional Parliament, the Conseil national de transition, adopted a bill to set up an independent national human rights institution, which was presented to the President for final adoption and promulgation into law. The steering committee overseeing security sector reform presented its final report to the President. With regard to national reconciliation, the President appointed two religious personalities as co-chairpersons of the provisional national commission on reconciliation. * GE.12-10144 Late submission.