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| - A Guinea court on Thursday ordered the temporary release of two prominent opposition figures who had led protests against a new constitution, one of their lawyers said. The West African country has seen huge demonstrations over the proposed new constitution that many fear will allow President Alpha Conde to seek a third term in office this year. Since the protests began in October at least 31 protesters and one gendarme have been killed, according to an AFP tally. Ibrahima Diallo and Sekou Koundouno, both leading members of the FNDC group behind the protests, face several charges including assault, according to their lawyers. In Conakry on Thursday, one of the lawyers, Mohamed Traore said the pair have been released but will have to present themselves before a judge every week. "They should be freed any minute now," the lawyer said, adding that no trial date had yet been set. "This is good news," Traore told AFP by telephone. The charges against them include the "production and dissemination of material likely to disturb public order and harm human dignity" as well as "assault and battery," he said. The pair from the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC) were arrested last week after they gave a press conference to condemn the arrest of other activists, the group has said. Diallo and Koundouno are close to Abdourahmane Sano, the FNDC's leader. The two were jailed last year along with other senior FNDC figures and spent weeks in prison before their sentences were overturned on appeal and they were released. Their arrest last week came after Conde, 82, postponed a referendum on changing the constitution after criticism of the fairness of the poll. It remains unclear when the government will hold a new referendum. cav-eml/pma
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