A/HRC/16/26 I. Introduction 1. On 4 May 2010, further to the recommendations of the International Commission of Inquiry mandated to establish the facts and circumstances of the events of 28 September 2009 in Guinea, the Government of Guinea and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) signed a host country agreement relating to the establishment of an OHCHR Office in Guinea. The Office has been operational since June 2010, and was officially launched on 13 August 2010. The mandate of the Office includes monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights throughout the country, as well as developing and implementing capacity-building activities for the Government, civil society organizations and national counterparts. 2. This report, submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 13/21 of 15 April 2010 on the strengthening of technical cooperation and advisory services in Guinea, covers the human rights situation in Guinea and the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guinea from April to December 2010. II. Background 3. On 28 September 2009, a peaceful public demonstration calling for the organization of free elections in Guinea was violently suppressed by the ruling military junta. This resulted in 156 deaths, 109 documented rapes, 40 people reported disappeared, widespread illegal arrests and detention, and torture in prisons and other detention centres. In response, in the annex to his letter dated 28 October 2009 (S/2009/556), the Secretary-General established an international commission of inquiry to: “(a) establish the facts; (b) qualify the crimes; (c) determine responsibilities and, where possible, identify those responsible; (d) make recommendations, including, in particular, on accountability measures.” 4. The Commission of Inquiry visited the country from 15 November to 5 December 2010, and submitted its report to the Secretary-General on 16 December 2010. The Secretary-General submitted the final report of the Commission of Inquiry to the Security Council on 18 December 2009 (S/2009/693). In its report, the Commission of Inquiry recommended, among other things, that “the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should monitor the situation in Guinea, at least in 2010 during which the country is likely to remain unstable, by an appropriately significant presence … to serve as a deterrent to potential violators of international law”. An agreement between OHCHR and the Government of Guinea on the establishment of the OHCHR Office was signed by the Government and the High Commissioner in Geneva on 4 May 2010. It provides for a comprehensive mandate which covers technical cooperation and monitoring and protection functions throughout the country, as per standard rules establishing OHCHR country offices. III. The situation of human rights during the electoral process (June–December 2010) 5. The period under review was dominated by the political transition during which the first-ever free presidential election was organized in Guinea. OHCHR monitored the situation of human rights in this context. It reported widespread human rights violations, committed in particular by the security forces, and the impunity of their presumed perpetrators. 4