A/HRC/23/38
The Independent Expert draws the authorities’ attention to the need to speed up the
disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, carrying it out fairly, dealing with
the ex-combatants’ frustrations and guaranteeing them a dignified reintegration into
society, without letting it become a cover for impunity for perpetrators of serious human
rights violations.
During his visit, the Independent Expert noted the Government’s efforts to reduce
human rights violations, particularly with regard to the violence committed by the FRCI
and the dozos. The provisional release of detainees with ties to the old regime has helped
calm things down, but the various legal proceedings now under way still give an
impression of a two-tier justice system.
Some of the authorities’ actions, if not managed and corrected right from the start,
could compromise the ongoing process of democratization. This is particularly the case
with regard to illegal arrest and detention, bans on opposition rallies and the arrest of
journalists for reasons that are sometimes unclear.
The Independent Expert visited Odienné and Bouna and asked about the detention
conditions of high-profile detainees such as Simone Gbagbo, Michel Gbagbo and former
Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan. The Independent Expert notes that the transfer of
certain detainees to the Sainte Anne-Marie International Polyclinic is an encouraging step
towards recognizing their right to health. The same recognition should be extended to their
right to be either tried or released.
The Independent Expert emphasizes the sensitive role of the Dialogue, Truth and
Reconciliation Commission in repairing the fabric of society, which has been torn apart by
10 years of crisis against a backdrop of worsening ethnic divisions. The Independent Expert
believes that the Commission’s mandate, which expires in September 2013, should be
renewed.
The Independent Expert has noted that the significant increase in the economic
growth rate of Côte d’Ivoire is not reflected in the daily lives of Ivoirians.
2
GE.13-15028
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