Côte d’Ivoire

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A presidential democratic republic, Côte d’Ivoire (or Ivory Coast) is located in West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea. The country declared independence from France in 1960 and was considered a stable and prosperous nation for three subsequent decades.

In recent times, the country has been through a troubled period, experiencing a coup d’état in 1999, followed by two civil wars (2002 to 2007, then 2010 to 2011) that pitched the north of the country against the south.¹ Ivory Coast country profile, BBC, accessed October 2024
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13287216

Although the civil war ended in 2011, Côte d’Ivoire still struggles amid regional, ethnic and political tensions, most recently seen during the 2020 Presidential elections.²Briefing No.161/Africa, International Crisis Group, 29 September 2020, accessed October 2024 https://www.crisisgroup.org/fr/africa/west-africa/c%C3%B4te-divoire/b161-cote-divoire-reporter-pour-dialoguer Corruption and bribery continue to affect all levels of society.³Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023

Ivory Coast counts over 29 million inhabitants,⁴Résultats globaux définitifs du RGPH 2021, Portail officiel du Gouvernement de Côte d’Ivoire, accessed October 2024 https://www.gouv.ci/_actualite-article.php?recordID=13769 roughly divided between Muslims (42.5%), mainly in the north, and Christians (39.8%), mainly in the south. A small minority adheres to other religions. 12.6% of the population identify as non-religious.⁵Recensement général de la population et de l’habitat 2021 Synthèse, Ministère du plan et du développement, October 2022, accessed October 2024
https://www.caidp.ci/uploads/7113b93cc641ba78c591e9f79a4e729c.pdf

Ivory Coast is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief

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Countries: Belgium, Brazil, Central African Republic, Congo, Republic of the, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, São Tomé and Príncipe, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Ukraine

Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

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Countries: Kazakhstan

Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative

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Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Comoros, Croatia, Egypt, Eswatini, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

No formal discrimination in education

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Countries: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Congo, Republic of the, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Iceland, India, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Russia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), United States of America, Uruguay

Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

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Countries: Angola, South Sudan, Tuvalu

Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear

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Countries: Comoros, Ethiopia, Gambia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lebanon, Niger, Philippines, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom

No religious tribunals of concern, secular groups operate freely, individuals are not persecuted by the state

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Countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Congo, Republic of the, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Kosovo, Latvia, Luxembourg, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Slovenia, Sweden, Taiwan, Uruguay, Venezuela

Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

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Countries: Honduras, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, South Africa, South Sudan

No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values

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Countries: Bahamas, Belgium, Czech Republic, Iceland, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, United States of America

Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

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Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand

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Countries: Lesotho, Uzbekistan

No condition holds in this strand

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Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand

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Countries: Cyprus, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Lesotho

No condition holds in this strand

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Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

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This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Albania, Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

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Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Chile, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people

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Countries: Armenia, Chile, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Uruguay

Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

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Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: Afghanistan, North Korea

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)

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Countries: Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Comoros, Eritrea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

There is systematic religious privilege

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Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malta, Moldova, Nepal, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

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Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools

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Countries: Afghanistan, Congo, Democratic Republic of, North Korea, Saudi Arabia

There is state funding of at least some religious schools

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Countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Kosovo, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Switzerland, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe

State-funded schools offer religious or ideological instruction with no secular or humanist alternative, but it is optional

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Countries: Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Italy, Kiribati, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Spain, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela

Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence

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Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism

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Countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Turkey

There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism

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Countries: Bangladesh, Barbados, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Guyana, Iraq, Malaysia, Poland, Samoa, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed

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Countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Chad, China, Eritrea, Iran, Kuwait, Mauritania, North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is severely restricted

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Countries: Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted

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Countries: Andorra, Armenia, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Republic of the, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Niger, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda

Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious

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Countries: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Republic of, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Zambia

Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

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Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities

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Countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Comoros, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates

Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

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This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Official symbolic deference to religion

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Countries: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Finland, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kiribati, Korea, Republic of, Laos, Latvia, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe

Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

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This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

Religious schools have powers to discriminate in admissions or employment

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Countries: Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe

State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional

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Countries: Djibouti, Finland, India, Laos, Latvia, Norway, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sierra Leone, Ukraine

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious

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Countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritania, Pakistan

Systemic religious privilege results in significant social discrimination

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Countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Paraguay, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis

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Countries: Bangladesh, Comoros, Egypt, Haiti, Jamaica, Malaysia, Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, Turkey

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death

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Countries: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen

‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

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Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

Blasphemy or criticism of religion is restricted in law and is punishable by a fine

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Countries: Australia, Austria, Barbados, Brazil, Cambodia, Finland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saint Lucia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Kingdom

Concerns that secular or religious authorities interfere in specifically religious freedoms

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Countries: Angola, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Congo, Republic of the, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, North Korea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities

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Countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

There is an established church or state religion

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Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Finland, Georgia, Haiti, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Yemen, Zambia

Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories

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Countries: Cameroon, Dominica, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Guinea, India, Jamaica, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay

Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)

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Countries: Argentina, Armenia, Belize, Cambodia, Chad, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Germany, Guinea, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Samoa, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom

Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious

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Countries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Hungary, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan

Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views

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Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Grenada, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders

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Countries: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kiribati, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death

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Countries: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia

‘Blasphemy’ is outlawed or criticism of religion (including de facto ‘blasphemy’ laws) is restricted and punishable with a prison sentence

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Countries: Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cyprus, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment

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Countries: Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Viet Nam

Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief

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Countries: Argentina, Burundi, Canada, Eritrea, Haiti, Jordan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tonga

It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities

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Countries: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)

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Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Religious groups control some public or social services

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Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Denmark, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom

It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed

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Countries: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Comoros, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

The non-religious are barred from holding government office

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Countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups

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Countries: Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Samoa, Sweden, Switzerland

Religious control over family law or legislation on moral matters

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Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious

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Countries: Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates

Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

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This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe

State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions

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It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization

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Constitution and government

The Constitution of 2016⁶La Constitution Ivoirienne (édition 2016), accessed October 2024, https://www.presidence.ci/constitution-de-2016/ declares Ivory Coast a secular state (Article 49), and affirms the equality of all citizens before the law irrespective of religion (Article 4), further prohibiting discrimination in public and private employment due to, inter alia, philosophical or religious opinions (Article 14).

Article 19 of the Constitution protects freedom of thought, belief and expression, crucially mentioning freedom of conscience and of philosophical convictions alongside freedom of religion:

“Freedom of thought and freedom of expression, particularly, freedom of conscience, of philosophical and religious conviction or of worship are guaranteed to everyone. Everyone has the right to express and disseminate their ideas freely.

“These freedoms are exercised subject to respect for the law, for the rights of others, for national security and for public order.”

“Any propaganda whose objective or outcome is to elevate one social group above another, or to encourage racial, tribal or religious hatred is prohibited.”⁷La liberté de pensée et la liberté d’expression, notamment la liberté de conscience, d’opinion philosophique et de conviction religieuse ou de culte, sont garanties à tous. Chacun a le droit d’exprimer et de diffuser librement ses idées.
Ces libertés s’exercent sous la réserve du respect de la loi, des droits d’autrui, de la sécurité nationale et de l’ordre public.
Toute propagande ayant pour but ou pour effet de faire prévaloir un groupe social sur un autre, ou d’encourager la haine raciale, tribale ou religieuse, est interdite.

Religious groups

Although the country considers itself secular, the Government acknowledges the significant role that the country’s religious groups have to play in the development of the country and actively seeks engagement with them.⁸Marie Miran-Guyon & Bony Guiblehon, “Religion et politique en Côte d’Ivoire : un demi-siècle d’intimités ambivalentes”, Observatoire International du Religieux, September 2018 https://obsreligion.cnrs.fr/note/religion-et-politique-en-cote-divoire-un-demi-siecle-dintimites-ambivalentes/

The Department of Faith Based Organizations (DGC) within the Ministry of the Interior is entrusted with promoting dialogue between religious groups and with the Government. It also provides administrative support for these groups as well as monitoring their activities and processing the registration of new religious organizations.⁹2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Côte d’Ivoire, US Department of State, accessed October 2024 https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/

Religious groups are required by law to register with the Government by submitting an application to the DGC, which conducts a security investigation on the group and its members. Although no penalty is foreseen for not registering, registered religious groups benefit from government support, including exemption from property tax on their places of worship and free access to state-run television and radio to provide specifically religious programming. Registered religious groups are also exempt from import duties on items such as religious books, the Government also funds pilgrimages abroad for Christians and Muslims.¹⁰2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Côte d’Ivoire, US Department of State, accessed October 2024 https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/

According to the US State Department, the DGC reported that the Government was planning to update the 1960 law on ‘associations’ in order to better differentiate different types of civil society groups and provide different regulatory approaches for each.¹¹2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Côte d’Ivoire, US Department of State, accessed October 2024 https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/ However, in June 2024 the Government issued an Order on Civil Society Groups¹²Ordonnance 2024-368 relative à l’organisation de la société civile, Journal Officiel de la République de la Côte d’Ivoire, 21 June 2024 https://droit-et-politique-en-afrique.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ORDONNANCE-n%C2%B0-2024-368-du-12-juin-2024-relative-a-lOrganisation-de-la-societe-civile.pdf which, while differentiating civil society groups, has been strongly criticized by NGOs for including measures that restrict the right to association (see more in section on Freedom of association).

Education and children’s rights

Religious education is not part of the public school curriculum but is often offered by private schools affiliated with a particular faith. It is usually possible to opt out of these classes. Government subsidies are available at the same rate for both secular and religious schools.¹³2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Côte d’Ivoire, US Department of State, accessed October 2024 https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/

Talibés children

In the North of the country, children known as talibés can be found begging on the streets. These children, reported as mainly coming from neighbouring countries, are sent by their families to “study” in daaras (islamic schools) and are forced to beg to earn their keep. They are often subject to violence and abuse by their “masters”.¹⁴Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme, Rapport Annuel 2022, accessed November 2024 https://cndh.ci/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/RAP-ANNUEL-2022-CNDH-10mai2023.pdf

Child witchcraft accusations

There is very limited information on children accused of witchcraft in Cote d’Ivoire, however reports exist that demonstrate serious child abuse occuring in the country as a result of beliefs and practices related to witchcraft.¹⁵Leo Igwe, “Child Witchcraft Accusations in Ivory Coast”, Modern Ghana, 12 July 2015
https://www.modernghana.com/blogs/629280/child-witchcraft-accusations-in-ivory-coast.html Witchcraft is recognized by religious groups in the country and a number of Catholic Church pastors even practise exorcisms and recognize the existence of child witches.¹⁶Office Français de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides, Côte d’Ivoire: Les enfants accusés de sorcellerie, 13 juillet 2022 (accessed November 2024) https://ofpra.gouv.fr/libraries/pdf.js/web/viewer.html?file=/sites/default/files/ofpra_flora/2207_civ_enfants_sorciers_156147_web.pdf

Child marriage

Child marriage is historically widespread, though the 2019 marriage law¹⁷Présidence de la République, Loi 2019-570 relative au mariage, Journal Officiel de la République de la Côte d’Ivoire, 12 July 2019
https://www.famille.gouv.ci/public/documents/doc_drcc/loi_2019-570_sur_le_mariage.pdf set the minimum age for marriage at 18 for both sexes. Customary and religious marriages, more common outside urban areas, were not affected by the law.¹⁸Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023 In his End of Mission Statement following his country visit to Côte d’Ivoire, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery expressed concern at the number of child or forced marriages affecting girls as young as 13. He explained that traditional and religious leaders reportedly continue to support the practice.¹⁹Country visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery to Côte
d’Ivoire, End of Mission Statement, 17 November 2023
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/slavery/sr/statements/20231116-eom-statement-visit-cote-d-ivoire-EN.pdf

Family, community and society

Religious harmony

Cote d’Ivoire’s different religious groups have historically enjoyed good relations and people of different religions often coexist within the same family. Religion was instrumentalized, however, by the rival parties during the civil wars as part of propaganda attempts to garner support.²⁰Marie Miran-Guyon & Bony Guiblehon, “Religion et politique en Côte d’Ivoire : un demi-siècle d’intimités ambivalentes”, Observatoire International du Religieux, September 2018 https://obsreligion.cnrs.fr/note/religion-et-politique-en-cote-divoire-un-demi-siecle-dintimites-ambivalentes/# President Ouattara, a Muslim married to a Catholic woman with Jewish origins, has made religious tolerance a priority.²¹International Crisis Group, Briefing No. 192, Keeping Jihadists Out of Northern Côte d’Ivoire, 11 August 2023 https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/cote-divoire/b192-keeping-jihadists-out-northern-cote-divoire

While Ivory Coast has been mostly spared the phenomenon of jihadism which afflicts other Western African countries, it suffered a major terrorist attack from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in March 2016, when gunmen shot bathers at random in the coastal town Grand Bassam, killing 19 people.²²Counter Extremism Project, Côte d’Ivoire: Extremism and Terrorism, accessed November 2024 https://www.counterextremism.com/countries/cote-d-ivoire-extremism-and-terrorism The attack was denounced by several religious leaders with the High Council of Imams denouncing the ‘barbaric methods’ of the extremists. Further attacks took place in 2021 on military targets killing several Ivorian soldiers. Islamist groups are suspected to be responsible for the attacks.²³International Crisis Group, Briefing No. 192, Keeping Jihadists Out of Northern Côte d’Ivoire, 11 August 2023 https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/cote-divoire/b192-keeping-jihadists-out-northern-cote-divoire

Several initiatives exist to promote inter-faith dialogue and to prevent extremism including the National Platform for Interfaith Dialogue for the Fight against Violent Extremism, comprised of imams, Catholic priests, evangelical pastors, and youth and women from various religious denominations, and the Alliance of Religions for Peace in Cote d’Ivoire, composed of religious leaders representing the Catholic, evangelical, and Muslim communities.²⁴ 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Côte d’Ivoire, US Department of State, accessed October 2024 https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/[/ref]  Representatives of non-religious groups do not appear to be part of these initiatives.

Religious freedoms are typically respected, and individuals are free to practice their faith publicly and privately.[ref] Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023Humanists International found no reports of abuse targeting atheists or ‘apostates’.

Women’s rights

Côte d’Ivoire currently boasts the best score in Africa on women’s equality according to the latest OECD ratings. However, women’s rights groups in the country explain that this must be seen in terms of legal provisions and not social norms.²⁵Dialla Konate, “La Côte d’Ivoire championne africaine de l’égalité des genres, un titre controversé”, Le Monde, 24 September 2024 https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2024/09/24/la-cote-d-ivoire-championne-africaine-de-l-egalite-des-genres-un-titre-controverse_6331203_3212.htmlIn practice women continue to face significant discrimination and gender based violence is widespread.
The law also continues to fall short in a number of areas, for example a series of legal reforms in 2019 included the protection of women’s inheritance rights. However, these rights are not protected in the case of customary or non-registered religious marriages meaning some women could still lose their property rights following the death of their husband or if their union ends.²⁶Juliana Nnoko, “Côte d’Ivoire Marriage Reform a Step for Women”, Human Rights Watch, 24 July 2019
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/24/cote-divoire-marriage-reform-step-women

Gender based violence

While the new law criminalizes all forms of rape, there remains concern that the definition of marital rape is not based on the lack of freely given consent and that not all forms of domestic violence are explicitly criminalized.²⁷Compilation of information prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal Periodic Review​ – Côte d’Ivoire, Fourth Cycle 4-15 November 2024
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g24/139/86/pdf/g2413986.pdf

Legal provisions against gender based violence are rarely enforced and there is a lack of public awareness of the issue leading to impunity for perpetrators. Rape is often reclassified as indecent assault and the required medical certificates are often too costly for many victims.²⁸Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024 https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023

Female Genital Mutilation

Although it is prohibited by law,²⁹Loi n° 98-757 portant répression de certaines formes de violence à l’égard des femmes, 23 December 1998, NATLEX Database, ILO
https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/r/natlex/fe/details?p3_isn=65028 according to a 2016 study by Unicef, the percentage of women in the country who are victims of FGM is approximately 36.7%³⁰Ministère du Plan et du Développement, La situation des femmes et des enfants en Côte d’Ivoire, September 2017 https://www.unicef.org/cotedivoire/sites/unicef.org.cotedivoire/files/2019-01/C%C3%B4te%20d%27Ivoire_MICS%202016.pdf It is particularly prevalent in the North-West of the country and women who have not been mutilated often face overwhelming social stigma.³¹ Office Français de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides, Côte d’Ivoire:Les mutilations sexuelles féminines, 7 March 2023 https://ofpra.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/ofpra_flora/2303_civ_msf_158204_web.pdf However, there is evidence of a slowly growing opposition to the practice (including by religious leaders) and, while prosecutions remain rare, in 2012 nine women received one year prison sentences and fines for performing FGM on approximately 30 young girls.³²Julien Adayé, “Ces femmes qui refusent l’excision en Côte d’Ivoire”, Deutsche Welle, 6 February 2021
https://www.dw.com/fr/ces-femmes-qui-refusent-lexcision-en-c%C3%B4te-divoire/a-56482205

Abortion

Abortion is only permitted in Côte d’Ivoire in cases where there is a risk to the life of the mother and, more recently, in cases of rape and incest. In a country where clandestine abortions are one of the primary causes of maternal death and local women’s rights groups campaign for greater access to abortion,³³“Côte d’Ivoire: «Conditionner l’accès à l’avortement à une information judiciaire va être un grand frein pour les victimes»”, RFI, 10 June 2024 https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20240610-c%C3%B4te-ivoire-conditionner-acc%C3%A8s-avortement-information-judiciaire-frein-pour-les-victimes there are reports of American Christian anti-abortion groups funding initiatives in women’s health centers to persuade women not to undergo the procedure.³⁴“Côte d’Ivoire : une association en lien avec un groupe anti-avortement américain épinglée par openDemocracy”, franceinfo, 25 February 2022 https://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/afrique/cote-d-ivoire/cote-d-ivoire-une-association-en-lien-avec-un-groupe-anti-avortement-americain-epinglee-par-opendemocracy_4979100.html

LGBTI+ rights

While homosexuality is not criminalized in Côte d’Ivoire,³⁵“LGBT Rights in Côte d’Ivoire”, Equaldex, accessed November 2024
https://www.equaldex.com/region/cote-divoireno laws exist to protect LGBTI+ people from discrimination and violence.³⁶“Côte d’Ivoire : la nouvelle loi contre les discriminations exclut les personnes homosexuelles”, TV5Monde, 11 November 2021 https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/cote-divoire-la-nouvelle-loi-contre-les-discriminations-exclut-les-personnes-homosexuelles Seen by some as a safe haven for LGBTI+ people in West Africa,³⁷Dialla Konate, “La Côte d’Ivoire, un refuge fragile pour les personnes LGBT+ d’Afrique de l’Ouest”, Le Monde, 27 May 2024 https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2024/05/27/la-cote-d-ivoire-un-refuge-fragile-pour-les-personnes-lgbt-d-afrique-de-l-ouest_6235899_3212.html the community still faces strong social prejudice, stigma and harassment from state security forces.³⁸ Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2024 Religious groups in the country are openly opposed to LGBTI+ rights³⁹Marc-André Boisvert, “Côte d’Ivoire: «Ici, on rejette l’homosexualité»”, La Presse, 6 April 2014 https://www.lapresse.ca/international/afrique/201404/05/01-4754845-cote-divoire-ici-on-rejette-lhomosexualite.php and there is growing concern of rising homophobia on social media leading to physical attacks.⁴⁰ “En Côte d’Ivoire, des activistes s’inquiètent d’une vague d’« agressions homophobes »”, Le Monde, 5 September 2024 https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2024/09/05/en-cote-d-ivoire-des-activistes-s-inquietent-d-une-vague-d-agressions-homophobes_6304798_3212.html An attempt to include sexual orientation as a category within a new anti-discrimination law in 2021, was finally thwarted after vocal opposition who argued that the law would pave the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the country.⁴¹Côte d’Ivoire : la nouvelle loi contre les discriminations exclut les personnes homosexuelles”, TV5Monde, 11 November 2021 https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/cote-divoire-la-nouvelle-loi-contre-les-discriminations-exclut-les-personnes-homosexuelles

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

During the 2020 elections it became dangerous for people to openly discuss politics. There were attacks on opposition supporters, including at demonstrations and meetings following the opposition’s boycott of the presidential election. Security forces turned a blind eye to violence perpetrated against opposition supporters.⁴²Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024 https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023

Furthermore, in 2020, amendments to the Criminal Code were approved that punish with imprisonment any offense to the president and vice-president, as well as acts of “sharing false news that results or could result in” disturbance to public order.⁴³World Report 2020: Côte d’Ivoire Chapter, Human Rights Watch, accessed November 2024 https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/cote-divoire

Since the 2020 elections there have been improvements in civic freedoms, including the opposition being able to operate more freely.⁴⁴Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024 https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023

Media Freedoms

According to Reporters Without Borders, the media landscape in Côte d’Ivoire is deeply polarized and politicized.⁴⁵ “Ivory Coast”, Reporters Without Borders, accessed November 2024 https://rsf.org/en/country/ivory-coast Media outlets in the country tend to heavily support either the Government or the opposition. During the 2020 election violence, many journalists were arrested and beaten by police.⁴⁶Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023

It is not uncommon for newspapers to be suspended.⁴⁷ “Ivory Coast”, Reporters Without Borders, accessed November 2024 https://rsf.org/en/country/ivory-coast In April 2023, the opposition aligned newspaper Le Temps was suspended for six issues by the National Press Authority for allegedly harming the judiciary by publishing a photo of a judge. The paper’s publication director, Yacouba Gbané, was also banned from writing and publishing for three months.⁴⁸ Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023

Freedom of assembly

Public demonstrations and protests were banned throughout the 2020 election period. Police responded violently to the protests which followed the opposition’s election boycott; more than 50 people were killed during these demonstrations.⁴⁹ Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023

Demonstrations that have taken place in subsequent years have not been met with such violence or interference.⁵⁰ Freedom in the World Report 2023: Côte d’Ivoire, Freedom House, accessed November 2024 https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2023 However, the 2020 amendments to the Criminal Code outlaw the organization of “undeclared or prohibited” demonstrations.⁵¹ World Report 2020: Côte d’Ivoire Chapter, Human Rights Watch, accessed November 2024
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/cote-divoire

Freedom of association

A new Order was issued in June 2024 to create stricter regulations for civil society organizations.⁵²Ordonnance 2024-368 relative à l’organisation de la société civile, Journal Officiel de la République de la Côte d’Ivoire, 21 June 2024 https://droit-et-politique-en-afrique.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ORDONNANCE-n%C2%B0-2024-368-du-12-juin-2024-relative-a-lOrganisation-de-la-societe-civile.pdf It grants powers to the Council of Ministers to dissolve CSOs whose activities it considers a threat to public order, public security or territorial integrity, a threat to social cohesion or that could provoke hatred between ethnic or religious groups. It also outlaws CSOs whose objectives are contrary to “good morals”. Existing CSOs have 12 months to comply with the new regulations, under penalty of a fine of one million FCFA (approximately 1,700 USD), and the possibility of dissolution in the event of non-compliance.⁵³ “La nouvelle ordonnance restreint la liberté d’association, notamment en autorisant la dissolution d’organisations”, CIVICUS, 12 October 2024 https://lens.civicus.org/interview/la-nouvelle-ordonnance-restreint-la-liberte-dassociation-notamment-en-autorisant-la-dissolution-dorganisations/ In response a group of Ivorian NGOs are advocating against this Order coming into force and have taken their complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights.⁵⁴ Dialla Konate, “En Côte d’Ivoire, la société civile dénonce des entraves à la liberté de réunion”, Le Monde, 29 August 2024 https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2024/08/29/en-cote-d-ivoire-la-societe-civile-denonce-des-entraves-a-la-liberte-de-reunion_6298628_3212.html