
Audio By Carbonatix
Ivory Coast's government has started to exhume the mass graves of people killed in the violence that hit the country after the disputed 2010 election.Justice Minister Gnenema Coulibaly observed a moment of silence as a grave on the grounds of a mosque in the main city, Abidjan, was dug up.More than 3,000 people died after Laurent Gbagbo refused to cede power to current President Alassane Ouattara.The conflict ended after French-backed forces captured him in April 2011.Mr Gbagbo was handed over to the International Criminal Court. Judges are still to decide whether to put him on trial over the post-poll violence.He insists he is innocent, saying he always stood for democracy.'Dangerous legacy'The bodies exhumed were believed to be those four men aged 17 to 35 who were killed while defending the mosque against militants allied with Mr Gbagbo, reports the BBC's Tamasin Ford from Abidjan.The government intends to exhume 57 mass graves across the country, saying the recovery of bodies was a step towards achieving justice and reconciliation, she says.But New York-based pressure group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the government has so far failed to charge any of Mr Ouattara's supporters over the violence, fuelling concerns about "victor's justice".More than 150 supporters of Mr Gbagbo have so far been charged over the conflict, it said in a report on Thursday."President Ouattara's expressed support for impartial justice rings hollow without more concrete action to bring justice for victims of crimes committed by pro-government forces," said HRW's Param-Preet Singh.If Ivory Coast "is going to break from its dangerous legacy in which people close to the government are beyond the reach of the law, it needs credible prosecutions of those responsible for crimes on both sides of the post-election conflict", he said.Ivory Coast's military prosecutor Ange Kessi Kouame told BBC Focus on Africa that he carried out investigations impartially."I prosecute if you make a crime, and I don't consider whether you are pro this camp or another," he said.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Ghanaian medicinal plant shows potential to starve prostate tumours by blocking blood vessel growth
16 minutes -
Emirates expands operations in Ghana with additional weekly flights
51 minutes -
Tributes paid to ‘popular’ teenager killed in Donegal rally crash
51 minutes -
Marigold Foundation distributes sanitary pads to 1,500 girls in Agona East
1 hour -
Two dead after building collapse at Gyagyaano in Cape Coast
1 hour -
Six arrested over Kwabenya shooting incident involving Adwoa Safo
2 hours -
Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena I installed as new leader of Kristo Asafo Mission
2 hours -
Kristo Asafo Church refutes claims Adwoa Safo was shot by brother
2 hours -
Four dead, two critical after Metro Mass bus plunges into ditch on Peki stretch
3 hours -
Police reinforce security at Kwabenya following gunfire incident involving Adwoa Safo
4 hours -
Kristo Asafo Church to investigate gunfire incident at leadership introduction ceremony
4 hours -
Security fired warning shots after gate breach attempt — Lawyer Kantanka on Adwoa Safo’s incident
5 hours -
Adwoa Safo fired first shot, security responded with warning shots – Kristo Asafo lawyer claims
5 hours -
Police investigates shooting incident involving Adwoa Safo
5 hours -
Father’s Day: ‘Let’s continue to build giants’ – Mahama urges
5 hours