Conakry - A top soldier in Guinea's former junta has been charged for his role in a 2009 massacre of protesters against the then-military rulers, the justice ministry said Thursday.

"I confirm that Moussa Tiegboro Camara has been charged for his alleged role in the September 28, 2009 massacre," justice ministry spokesman Ibrahima Beavogui told AFP.

He said a commission of judges investigating the affair had charged Colonel Tiegboro Camara last week, and he again appeared in front of the panel on Wednesday. The accused has denied all charges against him.

Beavogui said the judicial procedure was still underway and Camara had not yet been found guilty.

While described by rights groups as a minister in the presidency in charge of fighting drug trafficking and organized crime, a member of his entourage and official source said he heads up the agency, but does not have ministerial status.

Human Rights Watch on Thursday welcomed the charges as "an important step toward ensuring justice for the victims."

Colonel Moussa Tiegboro Camara is the highest-level official to be charged in relation to the September 28 massacre in which 157 people were killed and scores of women raped when troops descended on an opposition protest.