Two American pilots are currently incarcerated in Guinea for about six weeks, having reportedly entered its airspace to refuel. The pilots, Fabio Nicolas Espinal Nuñez, 33, from Ewing, New Jersey, and Bradley Scott Schlenker, 63, from Chicago, have been detained in Conakry since December 29, and they are urging the Trump administration for assistance in their release.
Friends and family are hopeful that the U.S. State Department can help resolve this situation. “It’s devastating. It’s so scary. Every day feels like a roller coaster,” said Nuñez’s fiancée, Lauren Stevenson. She has been communicating with both Nuñez and the U.S. Embassy but expressed her frustration over the slow progress.
The pilots were contracted to fly a Brazilian family, including two children, from Suriname to Dubai in a Gulfstream GIV. They landed at Ahmed Sekou Toure International Airport in Guinea for refueling, maintaining contact with air traffic controllers during the operation. However, Guinean government and military officials claim that the pilots lacked permission to touch down at the airport.
Consequently, both men faced charges for violating Guinean airspace, landing without authorization, and threatening national security. An emergency appeal made by their lawyers led to a court ruling that allowed their release while awaiting further proceedings, but they are still confined to the country and required to report to judicial authorities three times a week.
Stevenson mentioned that, despite the court’s ruling, they remain behind bars. “Due to military pressure, prosecutors have not agreed to let them go,” she explained. The case is now set for review by the Supreme Court of Guinea. “It seems odd. The charges are unfounded, and three judges recognized that,” she stated.
There’s a sense of something more complicated beneath the surface. Stevenson noted, “I’m left speechless. It’s exhausting, mentally. It’s just tough.” Reportedly, while in prison, Nuñez mentioned he shares the space with former government officials detained by the current regime.
Stevenson relayed that Nuñez is trying to remain optimistic, being allowed to order food and occasionally call her from a guarded phone. “We pray for their release and safe return. Fabio is worried that this ordeal might stretch indefinitely,” she added.
The U.S. State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hasn’t issued immediate comments on the situation. Guinea has a troubled history marked by military governance.
A recent Human Rights Watch report highlighted the government’s ongoing crackdown on media, opposition groups, and dissenters. While the junta has instituted a protest ban since May 2022, many have faced brutal force during attempts to gather, with numerous fatalities recorded. Since 2022, at least 59 protesters and citizens have been killed, including 20 in 2024, as reported by the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution, a coalition of civil society organizations.
The report also noted arrests aimed at suppressing opposing voices. In July 2024, three opposition leaders disappeared, with authorities providing no information regarding their status or where they might be held. In Guinea, laws against homosexuality are stringent, meting out prison sentences for vaguely defined offenses associated with “obscene acts” or “acts contrary to nature.”
