24 Dec 2010 03:41 Africa/Lagos
Côte d'Ivoire / Human Rights Council debates situation of Human Rights in Côte d'Ivoire
NEW YORK, December 23, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Human Rights Council this morning opened a Special Session on “The situation of human rights in Côte d'Ivoire since the elections on 28 November 2010”.
Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking on behalf of High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, reiterated the deep concerns of the High Commissioner, regarding the violations of human rights in Côte d'Ivoire. United Nations human rights officers were deployed across the country and were doing their utmost to monitor the situation and provide protection where they could. It had been impossible to investigate all the allegations of serious human rights violations, including reports of mass graves, due to restriction of movement of United Nations personnel. The current restrictions imposed by security forces and youth groups loyal to Mr. Gbagbo, which had hindered the capacity of the United Nations to deliver much-needed services and humanitarian assistance, must be lifted immediately. The Security Council had urged all Ivorian parties to respect the will of the people and the outcome of the election. The human rights violations must cease and the United Nations must be granted unfettered access to the population and perpetrators must be held accountable.
Member States of the Council and Observer States then took the floor. Most expressed their deep concerns about the human rights situation in Côte d'Ivoire, in relation to the results of the 2010 presidential elections, and the violence which had led to loss of lives and property. It was imperative for the Human Rights Council to pronounce itself on the situation in the country and address the issue. The Council could not remain silent when there was growing evidence of massive violations of human rights. States underlined the importance for the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire to implement its protection mandate. States also expressed support for the action of the United Nations and the efforts of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States in Côte d'Ivoire.
Speakers further called for an immediate end to violence and expressed concerns at the alarming reports of press harassment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, formation of armed militia groups and extrajudicial killings. Former President Gbagbo's persisting intransigence to the will of the Ivorian electorate threatened to cast the country back into conflict. The presidential elections had been deemed fair and their results must be accepted by all Ivorian parties. It was imperative to uphold the integrity of the electoral process and to restore democracy immediately. The renewing of the mandate of the United Nations' mission in Côte d'Ivoire was indispensable for enabling the United Nations and the international community at large to continue supporting the peace process and monitoring the increasingly alarming human rights situation
