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Ivory Coast Abuse Threatens Elections
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - Unchecked civilian abuse by Ivory Coast military and rebels - ranging from robbery to killings - threatens to derail elections planned for this Oct. 31st, an international monitoring group said Thursday.
Human Rights Watch said police in Ivory Coast's government-held south have routinely extorted money from civilians at security checkpoints, at times beating or even killing citizens without facing prosecution. Meanwhile, rebels in the north forced bribes from those in their area, often arbitrarily arresting people and imposing jail sentences without any court or executive oversight, the New York-based group said.
The U.N. on Wednesday condemned continuing violence against civilians in Ivory Coast, calling on leaders to punish those responsible and to step up disarmament efforts.
| Was that a strong condemnation or a regular one? |
Human Rights Watch said in a statement that "unless measures are taken now to combat impunity, a repeat of the violence experienced during the 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections could occur." In a report, the group documented multiple incidences of torture by military police, forced roadside bribes, attacks against student groups between November and March. The information was based on interviews with victims and witnesses, along with officials from Ivory Coast security forces, U.N. workers, rebel leaders, aid workers, journalists and diplomats.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-05-27 |
