Côte d'Ivoire: Impunity for past crimes and lack of redress for victims

In Côte d'Ivoire, torture has been routinely used by the security forces since independence as a means of repression and humiliation of dissenting opinions. It has been a primary weapon during the various political crises that have shaken the country, culminating in the post-electoral crisis of 2010-2011, which resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and numerous victims of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Despite the trajectory of economic and social development that the country seems to be taking, these efforts remain marked by significant shortcomings in protecting human rights. Despite the adoption of a new Penal Code in 2019, torture is still not adequately defined and punished in the Ivorian legislative arsenal. The adoption in 2018 of a general amnesty law to turn the page on the 2011 post-electoral crisis confirmed this preferential option for impunity for acts of torture and the absence of reparation for victims. Furthermore, in 2020, several demonstrations were suppressed by the forces of law and order and led to arbitrary arrests and detentions, including in unofficial places of detention.

This report identifies the challenges and proposes recommendations to help the country achieve full emergence, considering aspects of protecting human dignity. It describes the following concerns:

• the inadequacies of the Ivorian legislative framework for combating torture and ill-treatment

• failure to respect the legal guarantees of persons deprived of their liberty

• Lack of training of actors in the criminal justice system in the absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment

• Poor conditions of detention in Ivorian prisons

• The persistence of impunity for past crimes

• Lack of access to reparation and rehabilitation for torture victims

• Insufficient protection of specific groups against violence (women, human rights defenders)

The full report in French is available here.

Signatories:

1. Action des Chrétiens pour l'Abolition de la Torture de Côte d'Ivoire (ACAT-CI)
   
2. Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH)
3. Mouvement Ivoirien des Droits Humains (MIDH)
4. Observatoire des Lieux de Détention (ObsLiD)
   
5. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)