The African Court of Human Rights requests the suspension of the arrest warrant against G. Soro

Text by: Pierre Pinto Follow

The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights orders the suspension of the arrest warrant issued by the Ivorian justice against Guillaume Soro, currently exiled in France. It also orders the State of Côte d'Ivoire to release provisionally the nineteen relatives and supporters of the former President of the National Assembly, who has been on remand since the end of December.

Publicity

From our correspondent in Abidjan

" Victory is always on the side of justice, " triumphed this Wednesday evening Guillaume Soro on his Facebook page. In its eleven-page judgment, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights agrees with its lawyers and orders the State of Côte d'Ivoire to stay the execution of the arrest warrant issued against the former Prime Minister.

She also asked him to stay the execution of the arrest warrants against the nineteen other applicants including the deputies Alain Lobognon, Kanigui Soro, Camara Loukimane, Yao Soumaïla and Soumahoro Kando… Among these applicants are also Tehfour Kone, unsuccessful candidate for last year's municipal elections in Abobo, Soul to Soul, the protocol director of Guillaume Soro, or even Félicien Sekongo, president of the small MVCI party. Most of them are behind bars, in preventive detention since the end of December, distributed in several prisons in the country.

In its arguments, the African Court notes that six months before the presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire supposed to be held at the end of October, and while Guillaume Soro is a candidate, " the execution of the arrest and deposit warrants against political figures (…) risks seriously compromising the exercise of the applicants ' political rights and freedoms ”.

Guillaume Soro and his companions are suspected to varying degrees, in particular of attempt to attack the authority of the State and the integrity of the territory, embezzlement of public funds and money laundering. The investigation is still ongoing in Abidjan.

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Ivory Coast
• Justice
• Guillaume Soro
• Human rights

On the same subject

Ivory Coast: Guillaume Soro reacts to Alassane Ouattara's announcement

Guillaume Soro's offensive press conference in Paris

Ivory Coast: Guillaume Soro files a complaint against the Abidjan prosecutor