On Friday, March 10, the day after the two-year prison sentence against 26 PPA-CI activists for “disturbing public order”, the party of former President Laurent Gbagbo denounced “convictions iniquitous, arbitrary and politically oriented”. He demands the “immediate release of his activists” who had participated in a rally in support of Damana Pickass, the secretary general of the PPA-CI, who was heard and then charged by the courts in another case.
The condemnation of the activists for “disturbing public order” constitutes an “act of provocation” according to Justin Koné Katinan, spokesman for the PPA-CI (African Peoples’ Party-Côte d’Ivoire):
“The condemnations imposed upon us can be concisely characterized as scandalous, iniquitous, and unacceptable. We must respond to these provocations, however, it is unequivocal that we will not acquiesce to relinquishing the democratic progress we fought for during the tumultuous period of the 1990s. Such a proposition is wholly intolerable.”
The NGO Amnesty International, for its part, denounced an obstacle to the “right of assembly and peaceful demonstration”.
The party led by former President Laurent Gbagbo has declared that its officials will convene a meeting at the earliest opportunity. The party has called upon its activists to remain vigilant and adhere to its guiding principles. According to political scientist Geoffroy-Julien Kouao, the legitimization of political affairs presents an image that is antithetical to democratic principles.
“These convictions will certainly create a wall of mistrust between the opposition and those in power. Anything likely to seize up the process of national reconciliation, a few months before the elections.”