Ivory Coast sentenced two officials from former President Laurent Gbagbo’s party to 10 years in prison for threatening national security.
Damana Pickass, a senior figure in Gbagbo’s African People’s Party (PPA-CI), was convicted alongside four others of plotting to overthrow the government.
Prosecutors accused them of involvement in an armed attack on a military barracks in April 2021 aimed at toppling the ruling regime.
In a separate case, another PPA-CI leader, Justin Koua, was sentenced for his role in protests against President Alassane Ouattara’s controversial third term.
Authorities found Koua guilty of disturbing public order, illegal possession of weapons, and endangering state security.
Prosecutors sought 20-year sentences for all defendants, but their lawyers announced plans to appeal the court’s ruling.
Sebastien Dano Djedje, executive president of PPA-CI, condemned the verdict, calling it “judicial harassment” aimed at weakening their party.
He claimed that Gbagbo himself was under legal scrutiny as the country approaches a crucial presidential election later this year.
Despite being declared ineligible, Gbagbo has announced his candidacy, fueling speculation about political motives behind the convictions.
During Pickass’s trial, prosecutors argued that the accused never accepted Gbagbo’s 2010 election defeat, which led to deadly post-election violence.
That crisis, which left around 3,000 people dead, remains a deep wound in Ivory Coast’s political landscape.
At a recent rally in Abidjan, Gbagbo warned against silencing opposition voices through repression and judicial maneuvers.
“We must stop punishing those who dare to challenge those in power,” the former president declared defiantly.