A leading human rights organisation, le Mouvement ivoirien des droits de l’homme (MIDH), has urged Cote d’Ivoire’s president to allow it to visit the basement of the Presidential Palace. It said its request, made in a letter sent to the president on Thursday, followed claims by people detained by security forces that they had been interrogated and tortured there.
National and international organisations have often accused Ivorian authorities of rights abuses since the 24 December 1999 coup d’etat against President Henri Konan Bedie that brought General Robert Guei to power. Popular protests forced Guei out of power after he declared himself the winner of presidential elections won by Gbagbo.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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