Authorities in Ivory Coast denied Wednesday that people were unfairly arrested over banned protests during the October presidential election.
Alassane Ouattara claimed a contested fourth term in a vote where two main opposition candidates were barred from running.
The election campaign sparked widespread unrest, with opposition demonstrations leaving several dead and hundreds detained amid heightened tensions.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International urged the government to release dozens of detainees, including pregnant women, citing unjust arrests and convictions.
The Justice and Human Rights Ministry responded, asserting that all those detained were properly prosecuted, tried, and convicted under the law.
Constant Zirignon Delbe, the ministry’s human rights chief, said Amnesty’s statements amounted to an “inappropriate value judgment” against official procedures.
Authorities insisted that no individual was arrested without cause or unfairly sentenced, emphasizing that legal guarantees were fully respected.
Pregnant women in custody were reportedly receiving regular medical checkups and support to ensure safe conditions during detention.
“No woman deprived of her liberty is subjected to an environment detrimental to the proper course of a pregnancy,” officials said.
Ivorian authorities framed their response as both a defence of judicial integrity and a reassurance of human rights protections.