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A former Ivorian minister who was detained last month for publicly criticising the exclusion of opposition candidates from the upcoming presidential election has been released after issuing an apology, his lawyer confirmed on Monday.
Joël N’Guessan, a former human rights minister and one-time spokesperson for the ruling party, was arrested on June 18 on charges of “undermining the judiciary and magistrates,” according to state prosecutors.
His arrest followed remarks made during an interview with lemondeactuel.com, in which N’Guessan warned that banning certain political figures from contesting the 25 October election could trigger a national crisis. Among those excluded from the race is former president Laurent Gbagbo.
On Saturday, N’Guessan publicly expressed regret over his statements, acknowledging they had caused offence within the judiciary. “I realised that my interview upset many within the justice system, especially judges,” he wrote. “I would like to offer my sincere apologies to the judicial institution and its magistrates.”
His lawyer, Ange Rodrigue Dadjé, later announced that N’Guessan had been granted provisional release and had returned home, though it remains unclear whether legal proceedings against him will continue.
In Ivory Coast, casting public doubt on state institutions is a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison.
The West African nation has a troubled electoral history, most notably the post-election crisis of 2010–2011, when President Alassane Ouattara’s contested victory over Gbagbo resulted in violence that left around 3,000 people dead.
The ruling party continues to maintain that it does not interfere in the electoral process, insisting that decisions over candidate eligibility rest with the judiciary, which it claims operates independently.
