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UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS EXPRESS STRONG CONCERN ABOUT NEW OUTBREAK OF VIOLENCE IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE
15 November 2004
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15 November 2004
The following statement was issued today by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Erturk; and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou Diene:
"The Special Rapporteurs express their strong concern about the new outbreak of violence in Côte d'Ivoire since 4 November 2004 which had resulted in 3,800 persons fleeing the country.
The Special Rapporteurs are especially worried about information which they received indicating that many persons had been killed and wounded in xenophobic demonstrations which had been carried out in recent days in Abidjan. There had also been cases of sexual violence against women and young girls in the capital. Jeunes Patriotes groups calling for the liberation of Côte d'Ivoire had burnt kiosks selling newspapers and press offices, destroyed copies of newspapers, intimidated and attacked newspaper sellers and ransacked offices belonging to opposition political parties. Certain newspapers, mainly opposition newspapers, had been prohibited, transmitters belonging to foreign radios had been closed down by the authorities, and programmes on Côte d'Ivoire's public television and radio were publicly instigating the population to racial hatred and were regularly showing inflammatory statements. Homes, schools and offices belonging to foreigners had been pillaged and burnt. In some cases, it was reported that members of the Ivorian armed forces were themselves instigating such acts.
The Special Rapporteurs underlined that rape and other forms of sexual violence constituted wars crimes and crimes against humanity according to international law which should be punished in accordance with the gravity of the act. They recalled that all calls for national, racial or religious hatred constituted an instigation to discrimination and violence which was prohibited by the international instruments which Côte d'Ivoire was a party to, and which prohibited States parties from allowing public, national or local authorities or institutions to instigate or encourage racial discrimination. They also underlined that the free circulation of information, especially through the press, constituted a fundamental guarantee of implementing the right to liberty of opinion and expression.
The Special Rapporteurs urged the Ivorian Government to take all the necessary measures to prevent all kinds of human rights or humanitarian violations, to eventually punish those who carried them out, and to ensure the protection and security of all persons present on its territory".
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The following statement was issued today by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Erturk; and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou Diene:
"The Special Rapporteurs express their strong concern about the new outbreak of violence in Côte d'Ivoire since 4 November 2004 which had resulted in 3,800 persons fleeing the country.
The Special Rapporteurs are especially worried about information which they received indicating that many persons had been killed and wounded in xenophobic demonstrations which had been carried out in recent days in Abidjan. There had also been cases of sexual violence against women and young girls in the capital. Jeunes Patriotes groups calling for the liberation of Côte d'Ivoire had burnt kiosks selling newspapers and press offices, destroyed copies of newspapers, intimidated and attacked newspaper sellers and ransacked offices belonging to opposition political parties. Certain newspapers, mainly opposition newspapers, had been prohibited, transmitters belonging to foreign radios had been closed down by the authorities, and programmes on Côte d'Ivoire's public television and radio were publicly instigating the population to racial hatred and were regularly showing inflammatory statements. Homes, schools and offices belonging to foreigners had been pillaged and burnt. In some cases, it was reported that members of the Ivorian armed forces were themselves instigating such acts.
The Special Rapporteurs underlined that rape and other forms of sexual violence constituted wars crimes and crimes against humanity according to international law which should be punished in accordance with the gravity of the act. They recalled that all calls for national, racial or religious hatred constituted an instigation to discrimination and violence which was prohibited by the international instruments which Côte d'Ivoire was a party to, and which prohibited States parties from allowing public, national or local authorities or institutions to instigate or encourage racial discrimination. They also underlined that the free circulation of information, especially through the press, constituted a fundamental guarantee of implementing the right to liberty of opinion and expression.
The Special Rapporteurs urged the Ivorian Government to take all the necessary measures to prevent all kinds of human rights or humanitarian violations, to eventually punish those who carried them out, and to ensure the protection and security of all persons present on its territory".
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