Amnesty International today called on Côte d’Ivoire security forces to stop their attacks on political opponents as new information was revealed about a deadly raid on political allies of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the presidential election.

While outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo has agreed on unconditional negotiations to resolve the political stalemate following December’s poll, Amnesty International received reports of security forces yesterday raiding the Abidjan headquarters of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), the country’s former ruling party.

“No political solution to the current crisis in Côte d’Ivoire can be lasting unless it ensures full respect for human rights and the restoration of the rule of law” said Salvatore Saguès, Amnesty International’s West Africa researcher. “Security forces should be called to account for carrying out enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial executions of their political opponents,”

One person was killed, 16 wounded and 63 arrested by several dozen security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, in a 5:00 am raid yesterday of the Abidjan headquarters of the PDCI.

Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that security forces fired live bullets at those inside the building and while several people were beaten.

“Some of us were praying when we heard security forces enter the room,” said one female eyewitness. “They looked everywhere and found nothing. Then they asked some of our young leaders to leave the room and accompany them outside where they were beaten with clubs. Some people protested, and security forces entered. I went to hide myself in a corner and saw security forces throwing tear grenades in the room and firing at us”.

On party member, Karim Sidibé, was killed as a result of the gunfire. A person who was beside him, who cannot be identified for security reasons, said: “They fired point blank at us, they hit me on the foot and hit Karim on the stomach. The bullet went through him. I went to see him but he was already dead”.

Amnesty International received a credible report this morning that none of the wounded people detained during the raid had yet received medical treatment.

Officials from the Ministry of the Interior loyal to Laurent Gbagbo said on Ivorian TV yesterday that the raid followed reports of complaints from neighbouring residents of “acts of vandalism and theft” by activists close to Alassane Ouatarra . They also said that one person had been killed but “was dressed in a traditional hunter outfit and carried a knife”, and that he had threatened police officers before being killed.

Those arrested are set to be presented today to a investigating judge to face five different charges including “robbery with violence (vol avec violence)”, “assault and battery” (coups de blessures) and “destruction of private property” (destruction de biens d’autrui)..

“Amnesty International calling for the unconditional release of these detainees and for immediate access to medical care for those who have been ill-treated and wounded, said Salvatore Saguès.

There have been unlawful killings in the wake of the 28 November presidential election

Ugandan human rights groups have welcomed a court ruling banning media from publishing the names of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people following a tabloid campaign targeting alleged homosexuals.

A High Court judge ruled on Monday against the Rolling Stone tabloid newspaper, which last year published a series of lists and photos of people it said were gay, some of whom were attacked after their names had been published.

Judge Vincent Musoke-Kibuuke banned Rolling Stone from revealing the identities of LGBT people and extended the ruling to all Ugandan media.

“The human rights community welcomes this ruling as a landmark in the struggle for the protection of human dignity and the right to privacy irrespective of one’s sexual orientation,” said a statement by The Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Uganda.

Rolling Stone, a weekly tabloid paper launched last year by university graduates, published what it labelled “100 Pictures Of Uganda’s Top Homos” on 2 October 2010. Another article had the headline “hang them” above a list of names and photos.

Rights groups warned that the articles put the lives of LGBT people in danger. At least four people named in the article said they were attacked, including one woman who was reportedly forced to leave her home after neighbours pelted it with stones.

Other Ugandan tabloids, such as Red Pepper and the Onion, have also published homophobic articles in the past.

“While this injunction is a positive step for gay people in Uganda, the fact remains that the government of Uganda has for long been mute about the discrimination, threats and violence faced by LGBTI people in Uganda,” said Kasha Jacqueline, one of the three LGBT people who filed the case against Rolling Stone.

The Rolling Stone’s editor Giles Muhame said he would appeal against the High Court ruling against the tabloid.

Discrimination against LGBT people is rife in Uganda, where the police arbitrarily arrest and detain men and women accused of engaging in consensual sex with someone of the same sex.

Human rights organizations have documented cases of lesbians and gay men being tortured in detention because of their sexual orientation.

In October 2009, an “Anti-Homosexuality Bill”, described by Amnesty International as “an attack on freedom of expression”, was drafted although it has not yet been passed by parliament.

LGBT activist Frank Mugisha, one of those named in the Rolling Stone, told Amnesty International in November: “All this homophobia comes from ignorance. The fact that there’s no space for discussion, no space for understanding, that’s why some of these government officials don’t understand the LGBT issues.”

Uganda's proposed "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" received support from Christian groups

Mediators appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must place the protection of human rights at the heart of their efforts to end the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, Amnesty International said today.

The mediators are set to return to Côte d’Ivoire on 3 January in an attempt to find a solution to the political deadlock following the disputed 28 November presidential election.

“People are living in fear of being shot, arrested or abducted by the security forces or militias close to Laurent Gbagbo,” said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International’s Africa program director.

“ECOWAS must send a strong signal that everything possible should be done to respect and protect the human rights of the population.”

“All allegations of grave human rights abuses must be independently investigated”.

Amnesty International has received reports of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, abductions and forced disappearances, mainly committed by the security forces and militias loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who the UN has said lost the election but has refused to hand over power.

The UN has said that at least 173 people have been killed during post-election violence and that more than 14,000 people have fled Côte d’Ivoire to seek refuge in neighboring countries, including Liberia.

Amnesty International is also particularly concerned about recent attacks on the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) which is trying to investigate reported human rights violations.

On 28 December 2010 security personnel prevented representatives of UNOCI from visiting a site in N’Dotré on the outskirts of Abidjan where dozens of bodies are reported to be buried.

Also on 28 December a UNOCI convoy was attacked in the district of Yopougon in Abidjan and a Bangladeshi soldier was wounded in the arm with a machete.

On 29 December 2010, another UNOCI patrol came under gunfire in Abobo, Abidjan.

“ECOWAS mediators must formally protest against the attacks against UNOCI and demand that peacekeeping forces can safely conduct their mission of monitoring and protecting human rights,” said Erwin van der Borght.

At a press conference in Abidjan on 29 December 2010, Alain Le Roy Deputy Secretary General in charge of the UN peacekeeping force, attributed the attacks against their forces to “propaganda” and “hate speech” broadcast by the Ivorian state broadcaster.

Amnesty International urges ECOWAS to reiterate that no Ivorian politician should incite the commission of human rights violations or abuses and warn that perpetrators of such abused could be held to account by the International Criminal Court.

Sudanese activists Ali Agab and Abdel Monim Elgak were forced to flee their homes for defending human rights. They tell Amnesty International about the challenges they face and what keeps them positive about the future.

Abdel Monim Elgak is an outspoken advocate on justice, accountability and human rights violations in Sudan. Amnesty International campaigned on his behalf when in 2008 he was detained and tortured by the National Intelligence and Security Services. He later fled northern Sudan. Monim and his colleagues have filed a complaint with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights against the Sudanese authorities over their treatment in detention.

Ali Agab is a prominent Sudanese human rights lawyer who worked at the Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and Environmental Development. After the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against President Omar Al Bashir, the authorities closed down the centre and Ali sought asylum in the UK. He currently works with the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies.

How does your work impact on your life?
MONIM: The effects of my work on my life are both positive and negative. My work has enriched and enlarged my vision of the world. And at the same time, one of the negative things is being away from my original social environment twice – living in exile in the 1990s and currently living in involuntary exile.

ALI: Being a human rights lawyer and human rights defender in Sudan is always risky. But I always feel proud of my work, defending people and doing my best at least to give a voice to those people who are vulnerable.

What keeps you motivated when times are hard?
MONIM: When it gets hard I become even more motivated. Hard times are the time to be motivated, creative and innovative.

ALI: My clients always used to come to me after being abused by security forces, the police, or rebel forces. They felt down and hated being Sudanese. But by doing my best to bring their perpetrators to justice, and by demanding that they will be held accountable, my clients at least felt that someone cared and gave them hope. When it gets hard, I always remember my clients.

Do you have a message for our readers?
MONIM: I want to thank Amnesty International activists and members for their support during my detention.

ALI: I have seen for myself that the victims in Darfur and other areas of Sudan really appreciate and understand the work done by Amnesty International. So keep your activism on behalf of people who are not able to make their voice heard. Please remember that justice may be delayed, but one day it will be achieved. The way may be long but people have to fight for justice.

This interview originally appeared in Amnesty International’s magazine, The Wire.

Ali Agab and Abdel Monim Elgak were forced to flee for defending human rights

Amnesty International welcomes the readiness of the Human Rights Council to respond to the human rights emergency in Côte d’Ivoire, but regrets that the Council has missed the opportunity to use all means at its disposal to prevent further serious human rights violations and abuses.

The Human Rights Council met on 23 December in a special session to consider the worsening situation in Côte d’Ivoire, which has seen an increasing number of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and physical abuse in the wake of the 28 November presidential election.

The Council adopted a resolution condemning the human rights violations that have taken place and calling, in general terms, for an end to human rights violations, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and an end to incitement to violence, hostility and hate speech.

“While welcoming the call to respect human rights, the Council could have gone much further to address the deteriorating situation,” said Peter Splinter, Amnesty International’s Representative to the UN in Geneva.

“The resolution does nothing to impress upon the perpetrators – including the instigators – of the ongoing extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations and abuses that they are, and will be, accountable for their acts.”

Amnesty International says that at a minimum, the Council should have reminded all interested parties that Côte d’Ivoire has accepted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for acts committed on Ivorian territory, and that the ICC would be able to investigate and prosecute those involved in human rights violations and abuses.

Amnesty International also regrets that the Council has taken a largely business-as-usual approach to follow-up to its special session.

“While Amnesty International welcomes the opportunity offered to the High Commissioner for Human Rights to inform the Council at times of her choosing on violations and abuses of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire, it is disappointing that no explicit provision was made to enable the Council to act on the situation in the Côte d’Ivoire prior to its next regular session in March 2011″, said Peter Splinter.

“At this critical time the Ivorian population certainly deserved a more robust intervention than the Human Rights Council has offered them.”

There have been unlawful killings in the wake of the 28 November presidential election

Amnesty International welcomes the readiness of the Human Rights Council to respond to the human rights emergency in Côte d’Ivoire, but regrets that the Council has missed the opportunity to use all means at its disposal to prevent further serious human rights violations and abuses.

The Human Rights Council met on 23 December in a special session to consider the worsening situation in Côte d’Ivoire, which has seen an increasing number of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and physical abuse in the wake of the 28 November presidential election.

The Council adopted a resolution condemning the human rights violations that have taken place and calling, in general terms, for an end to human rights violations, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and an end to incitement to violence, hostility and hate speech.

“While welcoming the call to respect human rights, the Council could have gone much further to address the deteriorating situation,” said Peter Splinter, Amnesty International’s Representative to the UN in Geneva.

“The resolution does nothing to impress upon the perpetrators – including the instigators – of the ongoing extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations and abuses that they are, and will be, accountable for their acts.”

Amnesty International says that at a minimum, the Council should have reminded all interested parties that Côte d’Ivoire has accepted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for acts committed on Ivorian territory, and that the ICC would be able to investigate and prosecute those involved in human rights violations and abuses.

Amnesty International also regrets that the Council has taken a largely business-as-usual approach to follow-up to its special session.

“While Amnesty International welcomes the opportunity offered to the High Commissioner for Human Rights to inform the Council at times of her choosing on violations and abuses of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire, it is disappointing that no explicit provision was made to enable the Council to act on the situation in the Côte d’Ivoire prior to its next regular session in March 2011″, said Peter Splinter.

“At this critical time the Ivorian population certainly deserved a more robust intervention than the Human Rights Council has offered them.”

There have been unlawful killings in the wake of the 28 November presidential election

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Eyewitnesses have told Amnesty International that abductions, disappearances and physical abuse are increasing as post-election violence escalates in Côte d’Ivoire.

Amnesty International has received a growing number of reports of people being arrested or abducted at home or on the streets, often by unidentified armed attackers accompanied by elements of the Defence and Security Forces and militia groups.

Gendarmes and police officials are accused of attacking a mosque in Grand-Bassam, using live ammunition on crowds and of beating and groping female protesters.

“It is clear that more and more people are being illegally detained by security forces or armed militiamen and we fear that many of them may have been killed or have disappeared,” said Salvatore Saguès, Amnesty International’s West Africa researcher.

Amnesty International has received reports of constant harassment from people in Abidjan identified as real or alleged supporters of the RHDP [Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace], the coalition party that supported Alassane Ouattara in the presidential election.

Many residents living in the neighborhoods of Abobo, Adjame, Treichville and Yopougon told Amnesty International that rather than sleeping at night, they instead kept watch and alerted neighbours by banging saucepans whenever they saw armed people in uniform or plainclothes.

Amnesty International has learned of numerous cases of people arrested by security forces or militiamen loyal to Laurent Gbagbo. The bodies of some have been found either in morgues or on the streets. The whereabouts of many others remain unknown.

On the evening of 16 December, a few hours after a march organized by supporters of Alassane Ouattara was violently suppressed by security forces, eyewitnesses saw Drissa Yahou Ali and Konan Rochlin kidnapped from their homes in the area called Avocatiers, in Abobo, a neighbourhood of Abidjan.

An eyewitness told Amnesty International: “Around 7pm, a black Mercedes stopped in front of our compound. People wearing black T-shirts and military pants entered the courtyard and asked for Drissa. They took him and Rochlin and went away.”

Their bodies were found two days later in the Yopougon morgue.

On 18 December, Brahima Ouattara and Abdoulaye Coulibaly, members of an organization called Alliance pour le changement (APC) were arrested near a chemist shop in Angré, in the area of Cocody, a neighbourhood of Abidjan. An eyewitness told Amnesty International: “A car of the Republican Guard stopped by. They asked all the people around to lie on the ground and they picked up the two members of the APC. No one has seen them since then.”

The violence and ill-treatment has not been confined to Abidjan.

On the afternoon of 17 December, in Grand-Bassam, some 40km east of Abidjan, approximately 100 gendarmes and police officials surrounded a mosque and threw tear gas grenades. An eyewitness told Amnesty International: “It was around 1pm. We were listening to the preaching of the imam when we saw gendarmes and policemen around the mosque. Some of our young people went to protest and they threw tear gas grenades at us so we had to flee.”

The following morning, 18 December, gendarmes arrested people in a private house. An eyewitness told Amnesty International: “They took three young men and beat them with a pestle. They were also looking for other people and we all fled so they fired at us with live bullets.”

A few hours later, more than 300 hundred women marched in front of the police station demanding the release of those being held. One of these women told Amnesty International: “They beat us. They tore our underwear. They put their hands in our vagina and touched our breast.”

On 19 December, Laurent Gbagbo issued a demand for the United Nations mission in Côte d’Ivoire, ONUCI, and the French operation mission, Licorne, to withdraw their forces from the country.

The UN refused, saying that Laurent Gbagbo is not recognized by the international community and does not have the right to call for the departure of its peacekeeping forces. The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Côte d’Ivoire for an additional six months on 20 December. The French government also said its 900-plus force would remain.

In a separate statement, the Security Council warned that anyone responsible for attacks on civilians or peacekeepers could be brought before an international tribunal.

A peacekeeping official in New York said that the UN troops were ready to open fire in self-defence and to defend their mandate, which includes the protection of civilians.

On 19 December, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said that more than 50 people had been killed in the past three days with more than 200 wounded.

“In a situation where the security forces are collaborating in the commission of serious human rights violations, the international community must act to ensure that violations are halted immediately,” said Salvatore Saguès.

Violence has intensified in Côte d’Ivoire since a presidential run-off on 28 November

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