A 17-year-old student in Guinea has died after experiencing sickle cell complications while serving a prison sentence for exam fraud. Mamadou Djouma Bah was arrested on July 15 for allegedly using his phone during the national school-leaving baccalaureate exam.
Two days after his arrest, Bah was convicted of cheating and sentenced to six months in prison, with five months suspended, leaving him to serve one month. He was incarcerated in a prison in Kindia, a city approximately 137 kilometers northeast of the capital, Conakry. His health reportedly deteriorated during his imprisonment, leading to his transfer to a regional hospital.
His father, Saliou Bah, told the BBC that during a hospital visit, his son expressed difficulty breathing and appeared to be in distress. "Then he looked at me and said: 'Dad, I'm dying,'" Saliou Bah recounted, stating these were his son's last words. Officials indicated the teenager was discharged from the hospital and returned home, where he subsequently died.
Guinea's Minister of Education, Alpha Bacar Barry, conveyed his condolences to the family and expressed deep sadness over the news. Human rights organizations are now calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Bah's death. Students also demonstrated on Wednesday to protest the detention of their classmates, advocating for their release.
"A student should not be sent to prison. These young people are the future of our country," Saliou Bah stated, also urging authorities to release the other detained students to prevent further loss of life. "We lost our son; we lost our future."