History and memory

A frank relationship with history

Understanding an intelligence institution requires understanding the historical context in which it operates. In Guinea, as in many countries that have experienced periods of authoritarian rule, security and intelligence services have, on several occasions, been diverted from their legitimate purpose and placed in the service of political repression rather than the protection of the Nation and its citizens.

This reality is now widely documented and acknowledged in the country’s political history. It does not amount to a judgment on any particular period, but reflects a more general observation: wherever an intelligence apparatus has operated without a clear legal framework and without effective oversight, the risk of its being used as an instrument of political repression has proven real.

The Special services acknowledge this legacy. They consider that to remain silent about it, or to minimize it, would weaken the trust that citizens are entitled to expect from an institution exercising the powers that are its own.

A doctrinal break

The current institution stands in a deliberate doctrinal break with these practices. This break is not a mere statement: it rests on concrete guarantees.

• Oversight by the constitutional authorities. The institution’s action is carried out under the oversight of the Republic’s constitutional authorities, not on their margins.
• Legal framework. The institution acts within the limits set by the texts in force, presented on the Legal framework page, including in a context where a dedicated national framework law on intelligence has yet to be adopted.
• Ethics. Principles of legality, proportionality and data protection govern the day-to-day exercise of the institution’s mandate. They are set out in detail on the Ethics and conduct page.

A vigilance still to be built over time

A doctrinal break is proven over time, through consistent and verifiable practices, not through a single statement of intent. The Special services consider that this requirement commits them for the long term, and that citizens’ critical scrutiny of their action is itself one of the guarantees against any return to past practices.

Anyone wishing to know the avenues of recourse open in this regard may consult the Your rights page.