Deteriorating human rights conditions in Côte d'Ivoire says Amnesty International

Arbitrary arrests and imprisonment, harassment of opposition, civil society and critical media: Amnesty International has issued a report on Monday, which provides a harsh assessment of violations of freedom of expression in Côte d’Ivoire.

The NGO notes that seven years after the post-election crisis that claimed the lives of 3,000 people, Côte d’Ivoire’s economic growth contrasts sharply with the fragile human rights situation.

Since 2014, the report notes, at least 17 arbitrary detentions of journalists and bloggers have been recorded, not to mention the National Press Council’s sanctions against media outlets critical of the authorities.

The Ivorian government is also accused of systematically applying justice to the winners by avoiding the prosecution of former rebels close to President Ouattara. Amnesty notes, for example, that those responsible for the deaths of more than 800 people in Duékoué in western Côte d’Ivoire have never been prosecuted.

In an interview on Radio France Internationale on Monday, President Alassane Dramane Ouattara refused to comment on the acquittal of his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo. But said that Côte d’Ivoire continues its investigations to find out who are responsible for the deaths of 3000 people during the post-election crisis of 2010-2011.