Several opposition activists were arrested and convicted at the end of February, once again sparking a debate on free speech and freedom of assembly in the country. A few months ahead of municipal and regional elections this autumn, opposition groups and civil society actors are denouncing intimidation attempts and attacks on freedom of expression.
The secretary general of the opposition African Peoples' Party (PPA-CI), Damana Pickass, was summoned by an investigating judge on February 24, suspected of involvement in an attack on a military camp in April 2021. A few dozen party sympathisers gathered outside the judge’s office in a show of support and were met with a large police force.
"We were arrested in a brutal way. One policeman shouted, ‘Round them all up’ for no reason," says Joachim Zelehi Serikpa, deputy secretary general of the party. Others described the use of teargas and beatings of those wearing caps or scarves bearing the image of Laurent Gbagbo, the former president who founded the party in October 2021. Gbagbo returned to the Ivory Coast earlier that year after 10 years in exile, most of which was spent imprisoned at the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in deadly post-election violence after he refused to concede defeat to current President Alassane Ouattara in 2010; Gbagbo was acquitted in 2019.
The activists were detained, then tried and sentenced to two years in prison on March 9. Their lawyers lodged an appeal. They appeared in court again on March 22. After a 10-hour trial, they received a suspended prison sentence. But it was a half-hearted victory, said Me Sylvain Tapi, one of four lawyers representing the defendants. “We can’t lock up people who have not committed any criminal offence. They have not committed any act likely to disturb public order. On that day, there was no ban on association. This is a trial without evidence."
In addition to these 26 activists, four other PPA-CI supporters were arrested at the end of February for waving Russian flags at a political rally in Yopougon, an opposition stronghold in northern Abidjan. They were released along with the other activists.
“It is not an offense to display the flag of a foreign power. There is a legal vagueness around the arrest, the indictment and the release," notes Me Tapi, who denounced an "intimidation attempt".
Gbagbo, who met with these supporters on March 29, called the arrests an attempt to "discourage activists from demonstrating".
The government’s tight grip
For its part, the government continues to stand its ground. During a press briefing on March 16, government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly described the gathering of PPA-CI supporters as a "wild" demonstration that had not been registered with the authorities beforehand. He criticised the activists for gathering in front of the investigating judge’s office, noting that an "investigation must remain secret". For him, this was enough reason to justify the use of violence.
Coulibaly declined to discuss the people who were accused of waving Russian flags. "We have no particular comment and we do not want to interfere in court decisions. Otherwise, we could be accused of interfering with the free and independent judiciary.”
During a conference in March, the PPA-CI accused the authorities of "relentless judicial harassment" as well as "attacks against party officials", saying the judicial system was acting as an extension of the ruling party. Marie-Odette Lorougnon, vice-president of the PPA-CI, was threatened by pro-government activists earlier this year after she described 46 Ivorian soldiers detained for 10 months in Mali as "mercenaries".
"In Ivory Coast, we are free to express ourselves but not to defame," says Abdoul Awassa, head of a pro-government citizens’ movement accused of breaking and entering Lorougnon’s residence. "We are not violent, everyone can express themselves, but we do not tolerate discrediting the army or the ruling power.”
A ‘bad sign’ for the opposition
Months ahead of municipal and regional elections, political observers take these renewed tensions between Gbagbo supporters and Ouattara supporters very seriously. They are both emblematic figures of Ivorian political life and were rivals in the 2010-2011 post-election crisis that left 3,000 dead.
Ever since Gbagbo’s return in June 2021, the two leaders have emphasised peace and reconciliation. But for political analyst Geoffroy Kouao, the opposition detentions mark a turning point. “Unfortunately, with these arrests, the authorities are sending a bad sign to the opposition and are starting to make them understand that no criticism will be tolerated.”
According to Kouao, the government is risking the wrath of public and international opinion, as well as making the Ivory Coast look like a lawless state.
The right to freedom of assembly is also in question. Around 40 doctoral students who demonstrated to denounce precarious working conditions were arrested in December and sentenced to four months in prison for disturbing public order.
Amnesty International expresses concern
Ivorian civil society activist Pulchérie Gbalet was arrested after visiting Mali and calling for a “diplomatic solution” to the crisis when 49 Ivorian soldiers were detained in Bamako and accused of being mercenaries. Upon her return in August 2022, she was arrested and served more than five months in prison for colluding "with the agents of a foreign power likely to be harmful to the military and diplomatic situation in Ivory Coast". She had earlier served eight months in prison for "disturbing public order" when she called for demonstrations against President Ouattara’s decision to stand for a third mandate in the 2020 presidential election.
Amnesty International regularly denounces the targeting of activists in Ivory Coast. In its latest press release about the PPA-CI on March 13, Amnesty cites arbitrary detentions and obstacles to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.
“In theory, freedom of expression and demonstration is guaranteed by the Ivorian constitution, but in practice, it is quite the opposite. Whether it’s Covid or the terrorist threat, there is always a pretext to dissuade Ivorians from demonstrating,” laments Kokou Hervé Delmas, executive director of Amnesty Côte d'Ivoire.
Some political analysts are particularly concerned about this turn of events in the run-up to 2023 local elections, which will mark the first time Gbagbo’s party will be in the running since 2011.
