MEDEL firmly condemns the dissolution of the Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Guinea-Bissau and the transfer of its disciplinary and administrative powers to the Prosecutor General, as imposed by Resolution n.º. 03/ACM/2025 of the self-proclaimed High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order. These measures constitute a grave assault on the autonomy of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, on the principle of separation of powers, and on Guinea-Bissau’s already fragile democratic process.
The Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office — the constitutional body responsible for managing prosecutors’ careers, discipline, and self-governance — has been unlawfully dissolved in clear violation of both the Constitution of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and the Organic Law of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. No military authority holds any constitutional competence to interfere with the organisation of the judiciary or to suspend existing laws. Such acts are therefore abusive and amount to a usurpation of constitutional powers.
By seeking to subordinate the Public Prosecutor’s Office to a military hierarchy and to concentrate in the hands of the Prosecutor General powers that belong exclusively to the Superior Council, the High Military Command is attempting to bring the justice system under political and military control. These actions pave the way for arbitrariness, reprisals, and the instrumentalization of prosecutors, thereby gravely undermining prosecutorial independence and the capacity of justice institutions to uphold citizens’ rights.
International and regional organisations — including ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries), and UIPLP (International Union of Prosecutors of Portuguese-Speaking Countries) — have already expressed deep concern, adopting measures such as the suspension of Guinea-Bissau and calling for the restoration of constitutional order.
MEDEL expresses its full solidarity with the prosecutors of Guinea-Bissau and with their representative association, SINAMP (Sindicato dos Magistrados do Ministério Público da Guiné‑Bissau), who are bravely denouncing the illegality of these actions and defending the autonomy of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Any form of pressure, intimidation, or retaliation against magistrates or their associations for upholding legality, democracy, and the rule of law is unacceptable and must cease immediately.
MEDEL calls for:
1) The immediate revocation of all acts that unlawfully interfere with the organisation, powers, or functioning of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Guinea-Bissau, including the dissolution of its Superior Council and the extraordinary concentration of powers in the Prosecutor General.
2) The prompt restoration of constitutional institutions and the full reinstatement of the guarantees of independence and autonomy of prosecutors.
3) The protection of all magistrates and their representative bodies, ensuring that they may exercise their functions impartially, responsibly, and without fear, free from any political or military interference.
MEDEL also urges the international community — in particular the United Nations and regional organisations in Africa — to monitor the situation closely and to support all initiatives aimed at re-establishing constitutional legality, democratic institutions, and an independent justice system in Guinea‑Bissau.
29 December 2025
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