Ivory Coast opposition claims ‘up to 1,000’ supporters in jail

Abidjan (AFP) – Up to 1,000 supporters of Ivorian ex-president Laurent Gbagbo are in prison where several are subjected to torture, the head of the country’s former ruling party said on Thursday.

“After our investigations in jails and with family members, we count 700 prisoners,” Affi N’Guessan, the president of the opposition Ivorian Popular Front told journalists, calling this “an approximate figure”.

“We are convinced that there are up to 1,000 of our peers who live in this hell,” he said. “Some of them are tortured.”

Fifty prisoners detained during Ivory Coast’s post-election crisis between 2010 and 2011 were released in May, a gesture interpreted as a sign of appeasement for followers of Gbagbo…

Read More

South Africa Today Africa – West Africa Ivory Coast News