Source: Amnesty International –
Reacting to the sentencing by the Ivorian courts on 8 April of a unionist to two years’ imprisonment for “coalition of public officials” and “obstructing the operation of the public service”, Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said:
“Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Ghislain Duggary Assy, Communications Secretary of the Movement of Teachers for the Dignity Dynamic (Mouvement des Enseignants pour la Dynamique de la Dignité) union. All charges against him must be dropped.
“The strike notice, sent to the Ministry of Education on 21 March in compliance with legal procedure, announced a strike on 3 and 4 April, and resulted in this conviction and a dozen of arrests, which constitute a flagrant violation of workers’ fundamental rights, in particular the right to strike and freedom of association, guaranteed by the Ivorian Constitution and international conventions ratified by Côte d’Ivoire.
“Teachers cannot be treated as criminals for exercising their fundamental rights. The authorities must respect and guarantee the human rights of everyone in the country, including the right to freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining and the right to a fair trial.”