LGBTI Rights Defenders in Ivory Coast Facing Death Threats and Attacks

Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com, William Nicholas Gomes, is deeply concerned by repeated attacks...

Photo courtesy of Alternative Cote d'Ivoire

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Death threats have been issued against Claver Touré and his colleagues at Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire. They been facing increasing persecution since the beginning of the week, in relation to their legitimate work in defence of the rights of minorities, including the right to health.

On 23 January 2014, for the second consecutive day, a homophobic mob violently attacked the offices of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire, in what appears to be a series of co-ordinated attacks that began with an attack on the home of LGBTI rights defender Mr Claver Touré on 20 January. Claver Touré is the president of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire, an organisation that fights against homophobia and advocates for better health care for sexual minorities in Ivory Coast.

On the evening of 20 January 2014, at approximately 7.30pm, an angry mob composed of people from the Cocody area, a residential quarter of Abidjan where Claver Touré's house as well as the offices of his organisation are located, launched an attack on the human rights defender's home. At the gate of his home, they began to chant homophobic slogans, insulted the occupants of the house and made death threats against them. Feeling seriously threatened, Claver Touré alerted the local police. Upon the arrival of the police, the mob dissipated.

The human rights defender left to the commissariat with the police but on his way home, he judged it best to spend the rest of the night in the office of his organisation. For security reasons he has not been able to return home. On 22 January 2014, a similar mob of an estimated sixty people, composed of men, women and children, this time targeted the offices of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire. As well as chanting homophobic slogans and proffering insults against the members of the organisation, they also began to throw stones at the offices, breaking some windows of the house. The attacks continued the next day. At this moment, rumours are circulating that a more virulent attack is envisioned for 25 January 2014.

The members of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire suspect that the neighbourhood youth leader is behind this attack. In order to justify the attacks, some members of the mob told the press that they consider activists such as Claver Touré to be a threat to the education of their children. The human rights defender and his colleagues have since been forced to suspend their activities, and the majority of them have gone into hiding until such a time as their security has been re-established.

Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com is deeply concerned by the repeated attacks as well as the death threats which Claver Touré and his colleagues at Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire have been facing since the beginning of the week in relation to their legitimate work in defence of the rights of minorities, including the right to health.

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SE M. Alassane OUATTARA President; Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; Minister of Defence Office of the President Palais de la Présidence 01 BP 1354 Abidjan 01 Côte d'Ivoire Tel: +225 20 21 02 88 Fax: +225 20 21 34 25 Your Excellency, I am William Nicholas Gomes,Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com. On 23 January 2014, for the second consecutive day, a homophobic mob violently attacked the offices of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire, in what appears to be a series of co-ordinated attacks that began with an attack on the home of LGBTI rights defender Mr Claver Touré on 20 January. Claver Touré is the president of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire, an organisation that fights against homophobia and advocates for better health care for sexual minorities in Ivory Coast. On the evening of 20 January 2014, at approximately 7.30pm, an angry mob composed of people from the Cocody area, a residential quarter of Abidjan where Claver Touré's house as well as the offices of his organisation are located, launched an attack on the human rights defender's home. At the gate of his home, they began to chant homophobic slogans, insulted the occupants of the house and made death threats against them. Feeling seriously threatened, Claver Touré alerted the local police. Upon the arrival of the police, the mob dissipated. The human rights defender left to the commissariat with the police but on his way home, he judged it best to spend the rest of the night in the office of his organisation. For security reasons he has not been able to return home. On 22 January 2014, a similar mob of an estimated sixty people, composed of men, women and children, this time targeted the offices of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire. As well as chanting homophobic slogans and proffering insults against the members of the organisation, they also began to throw stones at the offices, breaking some windows of the house. The attacks continued the next day. At this moment, rumours are circulating that a more virulent attack is envisioned for 25 January 2014. The members of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire suspect that the neighbourhood youth leader is behind this attack. In order to justify the attacks, some members of the mob told the press that they consider activists such as Claver Touré to be a threat to the education of their children. The human rights defender and his colleagues have since been forced to suspend their activities, and the majority of them have gone into hiding until such a time as their security has been re-established. I am deeply concerned by the repeated attacks as well as the death threats which Claver Touré and his colleagues at Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire have been facing since the beginning of the week in relation to their legitimate work in defence of the rights of minorities, including the right to health. I urge the authorities in Ivory Coast to: Carry out a thorough, impartial and immediate investigation into the violent incidents at Claver Touré's home and the offices of Alternative - Côte d'Ivoire with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards; Immediately take measures to guarantee the security of Claver Touré and his colleagues, and ensure that threats against them immediately stop and are not reiterated; Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Ivory Coast are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, including death threats and physical violence. Yours sincerely, William Nicholas Gomes Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com Twitter @wnicholasgomes Email: william@williamnicholasgomes.com williamnicholasgomes.com - See more at: http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/24748/action#sthash.lyNQld4P.dpuf

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