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CAT status Status under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment State Party since 18 December, 1995

Côte d'Ivoire

At a glance

The 2011 post-electoral crisis led to serious human rights violations throughout the country, in particular numerous instances of torture and ill-treatment, sexual violence, and extrajudicial killings. Despite the creation of transitional justice mechanisms, including trials at the International Criminal Court, victims hardly had access to justice and reparations. An amnesty law was adopted in 2018, covering crimes committed during the 2011 crisis – previous crises had never seen justice and reparations for the victims. The use of torture has been reinforced by impunity and a lack of an adequate legal and institutional framework.

The OMCT worked with its members Mouvement Ivoirien des Droits Humains (MIDH) and Organisation des femmes actives en Côte d'Ivoire (OFACI) to ensure that Ivorian legislation is in line with the Convention against Torture. After many years of advocacy, a new Criminal code criminalising torture was adopted in 2019. The previous year had seen the adoption of a new Code of criminal procedure, with fundamental legal guarantees against torture. Such progress remains insufficient as the detention system suffers from severe overcrowding. Ivorian prisons, in particular the one in Abidjan, remain generally vastly below international standards. Security forces keep being accused of using torture, ill-treatment and arbitrary detention. Since ratifying the Convention against Torture in 1995, Côte d’Ivoire has still not submitted a report to the Committee Against Torture (CAT).

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