Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2006 - Cote d'Ivoire
- Document source:
-
Date:
14 March 2007
Continued harassment of MIDH members30
Lack of investigation into the attack against MIDH headquarters
As of the end of 2006, the Ivorian authorities had failed to investigate the complaint filed by the Ivorian Movement for Human Rights (Mouvement ivoirien pour les droits humains – MIDH) following an attack against its headquarters in Abidjan on January 10, 2005. On that day, a group of individuals who introduced themselves as police officers had raided the premises, accompanied by Mr. Ted Azduma Manamassé, a former member of the organisation. These persons then threatened MIDH members present and confiscated their cell phones. Although the assailants were immediately arrested and were due to appear before the Public Prosecutor the next day, they were all released during the night.
Threats against Mr. Drissa Bamba
On August 11, 2006, Mr. Drissa Bamba, media officer and head coordinator of MIDH activities, was threatened by four gendarmes.
While on a field visit in the Cocody II-Plateaux neighbourhood, Mr. Bamba was called to by several taxi drivers, also members of the Union of Transport Workers (Syndicat des transports), whose cars had been stopped by gendarmerie officers. Although the gendarmes failed to notify them of any specific offence, they confiscated the vehicles documents and demanded 1,000 CFA francs (1,50 euro) per unionist.
When Mr. Bamba asked the officers to return the papers, they threatened him with death and said: "You there, you're a dead man, and we are ready to put our rank at stake to make sure this happens. It is our zone here, we'll meet again".
Mr. Bamba then appealed to the general commissioner who subsequently ordered the gendarmes to return their papers to the unionists.
[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]
30. See Annual Report 2005.
This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
