ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ESTABLISHES INDEPENDENT COMMISSION OF INQUIRY FOR CÔTE D'IVOIRE

ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ESTABLISHES

INDEPENDENT COMMISSION OF INQUIRY FOR CÔTE D'IVOIRE

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 22 June (UN Information Service) -- Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan has set up an Independent Commission of Inquiry for Côte d’Ivoire to establish the facts and responsibilities for the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law which occurred in the country between 19 September 2002 and 24 January 2003, date of the signing of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement.  That accord called for the establishment of the investigative panel. 

The Commission will take into account the subregional dimension of the events being looked at and visit relevant countries neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, if necessary.  The mission is set to last initially for three months.

The members of the Commission are Aref Mohamed Aref (Djibouti), a lawyer; Gérard Balanda (Democratic Republic of the Congo), a judge; Fatima Mbaye (Mauritania), a lawyer, Radhia Nazraoui (Tunisia), a lawyer, and Justice Almiro Rodrigez (Portugal), a lawyer and former judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.  They are expected to begin their work shortly.

At the end of its work the Commission will submit a report to the acting High Commissioner, who will then transmit it to the Secretary-General.

Earlier this year the acting High Commissioner established, at the request of the Secretary-General, an inquiry panel that looked at alleged atrocities committed during demonstrations in Abidjan on 25 and 26 March 2004.

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