“I am Guinean and I will continue, as soon as possible, this fight,” assured the Guinean opposition figure, received in euphoria by dozens of Guineans at the airport with flags, shouts of support and chants.
Simões Pereira was serving pretrial detention in Guinea-Bissau since last July 10, in the context of a case in which he is accused by military justice of participation in an alleged coup d’état attempt that occurred in October 2025.
Guinean opposition figure Domingos Simões Pereira arrived in the early hours of this Friday at Lisbon airport, after leaving the prison where he was in pretrial detention in Guinea-Bissau, and promised to return to the country to continue “this fight.”
Asked by journalists, upon leaving the VIP lounge of Lisbon airport, whether he intended to return, Domingos Simões Pereira was categorical: “Absolutely.”
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“I am Guinean and I will continue, as soon as possible, this fight,” assured the Guinean opposition figure, who was received in euphoria by dozens of Guineans residing in Portugal who filled the airport with flags and shouts and chants of support. “I cannot turn my back on my people,” he emphasized.
The official admitted to feeling a “sensation of freedom” and being “grateful to the population that has come to welcome him.” As for the details of his stay in Portugal, he admitted he does not yet know the conditions, “because it’s the Portuguese authorities who handle everything.”
Asked about internal matters in the country, Domingos Simões Pereira declined to answer the questions directly, saying only that “someone worked, the authorities worked” and allowed him to be in Portugal. “I want to respect that effort that was made. As soon as I know all the details,” he would speak, he assured.
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As for his state of health, he said he still did not know, responding only that he “feels well.”
Domingos Simões Pereira arrived around 1:00 am in Lisbon, having left the prison the previous day, where he was in pretrial detention, by order of the criminal investigation judge, Mamadú Embaló, who authorized him to travel to Portugal, where he will undergo medical treatment.
Simões Pereira was serving pretrial detention since last July 10, in the context of a case in which he is accused by military justice of participation in an alleged coup d’état attempt that occurred in November 2025. He has now been authorized to leave Guinea-Bissau for ninety days, a period during which he will not be able to engage in political activity.
According to the ruling, the judge based his decision on a medical report from the Bissau Military Hospital, according to which it would be necessary for the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) to be examined at a medical center specialized in Portugal.
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Simões Pereira traveled to Portugal accompanied by his wife and his brother, the doctor Camilo Simões Pereira.
The decision of the criminal investigation judge (JIC) responded to a request from the defense and had the favorable opinion of the Military Justice Prosecutor’s Office, taking into account “humanitarian and legal reasons, based on a certificate issued by Dr. Domiciano Bernardo Nacocam Mango, doctor at the Bissau Main Military Hospital.”
In the JIC’s ruling, it is stated that the “pretrial detention is suspended for the period of three months, under article 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CPP)” of Guinea-Bissau.
“The suspect is subject to the obligation to refrain from developing any political-party activity during the period of the suspension. At the end of the three-month period, the suspect’s procedural situation will be reassessed by the court,” it is emphasized.
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Elected President of the Guinean Parliament, Simões Pereira was in pretrial detention since last the 10th, in the context of a case in which he is accused by military justice of participation in an alleged coup d’état attempt that occurred in November 2025.
Guinea-Bissau was the scene of a coup d’état on the eve of the publication of the provisional results of the legislative and presidential elections, which had taken place without incidents in November 2025. In a statement, the Portuguese Government confirmed that Portugal will host “for medical and humanitarian reasons” the Guinean opposition figure Domingos Simões Pereira.
“Portugal welcomes Domingos Simões Pereira, as requested by his family members, following the release that occurred today for medical and humanitarian reasons,” reads the statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Recognizing the humanitarian gesture, we will continue to work with commitment and discretion, through diplomatic channels, within the framework of the CPLP [Community of Portuguese Language Countries] and in cooperation with ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and the African Union, for the return of Guinea-Bissau’s institutions to constitutional and democratic normality,” the Portuguese diplomacy emphasized.
