Two American pilots have been imprisoned in the Republic of Guinea for six weeks — after authorities said they violated the country’s airspace for a simple fuel stop, The Post has learned.
Fabio Nicolas Espinal Nunez, 33, of Ewing, New Jersey and Bradley Scott Schlenker, 63, of Chicago are now asking the Trump administration to step in to secure their release as they remain locked up since Dec. 29 in a prison in Conakry, Guinea’s capital city.
Their loved ones are hoping the US State Department is able to end their nightmare.
“It’s devastating. It’s very scary. Every day is a roller coaster,” Lauren Stevenson, Nunez’s fiancée, told The Post.
Stevenson has been in contact with Nunez and the US Embassy in Guinea, but she’s frustrated by the lack of progress.
The contract pilots were flying a Brazilian family of five — including two children — from Suriname to Dubai on a Gulfstream GIV when they landed at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport for refueling. The pair had been in communications with air traffic controllers the entire time, according to the pair and family.
But Guinean government and military officials who hold enormous sway in the country claimed Nunez and Scott did not have authorization to land at the airport in the west African country.
They were both charged with violating Guinean airspace, making an unauthorized landing and jeopardizing the African country’s national defense.
The pilots’ lawyers filed an emergency appeal and an appellate court ordered Nunez and Scott released from jail pending the resolution of the case. The court required them to stay in the country and report to a judicial office three days a week, according to court papers reviewed by The Post.
But the pair is still behind bars, Stevenson said.
“The prosecutor refused to sign off on their release because of pressure from the military,” she said.
The pilots’ appeal will now be taken up by Guinea’s Supreme Court.
“This seems so strange. The charges are bogus and three judges agreed the charges are bogus,” Stevenson said.
“There seems to be something between the lines we don’t know about. It’s very unusual. I’m at a loss for words. It’s tough. It’s mentally draining.”
Her fiancée said Nunez told her he’s in prison with former government officials imprisoned by the current Guinean regime.
Nunez is trying to be positive, she said.. He’s allowed to get takeout food and can call Stevenson from a guard’s phone.
“We’re praying for their release and that they come home safely and unharmed. Fabio is worried that this ordeal has dragged on way too long,” Stevenson said.
The US State Department headed by Marco Rubio had no immediate comment.
The Republic of Guinea has a history of turmoil and strongarm military control of the country.
Human Rights Watch in a 2024 report said military authorities in Guinea continually crackdown on media, opposition and dissent.
The junta banned protests in May 2022 and security forces have used excessive force, including tear gas and live ammunition, to disperse those who defied the ban.
At least 59 protesters and other citizens have been killed since 2022, including at least 20 in 2024, according to the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution, a coalition of Guinean civil society groups and opposition parties.
“Human Rights Watch documented the killing by security forces of at least eight people, including three children, during protests in Conakry since January, with protesters assaulting the police and gendarmes,” the report said.
Meanwhile, 107 political parties were dissolved and 67 others were placed “under observation” by authorities, giving them three months to provide the ministry with required information.
Among the parties under observation were the three prominent opposition parties, including the Rally of the Guinean People, headed by former President Alpha Condé.
The opposition contends that the decision aimed at excluding key political figures from the elections.
“The junta used arbitrary arrests to silence dissent,” the HRW report said.
In July 2024, security forces “forcibly disappeared” three opposition leaders, and two are still in custody.
“Authorities have yet to acknowledge their detention or disclose their whereabouts, despite inquiries by lawyers representing the men,” Human Rights Watch said.
Gay rights are under assault in Guinea, whose penal code punishes undefined “indecent acts” or “acts against nature” with six months to three years in prison.
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