Ivorian authorities urged to ensure respect for human rights before, during and after elections

31 Octobre 2020

Paris, France,  October 31 (Infosplusgabon) - Amnesty International (AI) Saturday called on the Ivorian authorities to ensure respect for human rights before, during and after the elections.

The call is in response to acts of violence and attacks on fundamental freedoms that marred the electoral campaign in Côte d 'Ivoire in the run-up to the presidential election scheduled for Saturday.

"Clashes between supporters of the president's party and those of opposition parties, which have left at least 18 dead and many injured since August, have fueled an increasingly tense and unstable atmosphere in the approach of the ballot on Saturday, October 31.

“The authorities must ensure that the human rights of all people, regardless of their political affiliations, are protected before, during and after the elections, AI said in a statement Friday.

The international NGO explained that this implied that political activists, human rights defenders, observers, journalists and pro-democracy activists must be allowed to demonstrate peacefully, and not be cut off Internet access.

“Opposition groups denouncing the elections or calling for its boycott must be allowed to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. At the same time, those who choose to vote must be able to do so freely and in safety,” AI stressed.

It called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of anyone arbitrarily arrested for calling or participating in a peaceful protest against the candidacy of Alassane Ouattara.

The first round of presidential elections scheduled for Saturday in Côte d'Ivoire is taking place against a backdrop of tension and violence with a call for a boycott from the opposition challenging the candidacy of President Ouattra for a third term.

Meanwhile, the Ivorian Constitutional Council has rejected the candidacies of 40 people, including those of the former President Laurent Gbagbo, former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and the political opponent, Mamadou Koulibaly.

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