The United Nations Human Rights Committee has addressed a request from former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo concerning his political rights ahead of the October 2025 presidential election.
On July 21, 2025, Gbagbo, leader of the opposition party PPA-CI, submitted a referral to the Committee, alleging serious violations of his civil and political rights as guaranteed under Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Central to the complaint is a conviction, described in legal proceedings as a “robbery,” which Gbagbo contends was never formally served and is now being used to challenge his eligibility for the electoral roll.
In her statement, Me Habiba Touré, Gbagbo’s lawyer, explained that interim measures were requested to suspend the effects of this conviction and allow Gbagbo to fully exercise his political rights pending the Committee’s final ruling.
“The request for these interim measures was intended to allow former President Laurent Gbagbo to enjoy all his political rights protected by Article 25 of the Covenant, until the Committee renders its final decision,” she said.
On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the Committee decided not to impose the requested interim measures at this stage. However, it explicitly invited the Ivorian government to take all necessary actions to ensure the effective exercise of Gbagbo’s political rights.
“This decision… obliges the State of Côte d’Ivoire to comply with it,” Touré noted, adding that the Committee’s guidance leaves the government free to determine the administrative, political, or judicial means to achieve this.
Touré highlighted that the Committee’s injunction covers Article 25 in its entirety, granting the state flexibility in approach but binding it to deliver results under the Covenant, its Optional Protocol, and Article 123 of the Ivorian Constitution.
She referenced the precedent of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, where interim measures were initially rejected but later adopted due to continued governmental resistance.
“The Committee’s decision now commits the State of Côte d’Ivoire to guarantee without restriction the effective exercise of Laurent Gbagbo’s political rights, in particular his right to stand in the presidential election of October 2025, and in any other election that may take place before the Committee’s final decision,” Touré concluded.
This ruling places the Ivorian authorities under international scrutiny, ensuring that Gbagbo’s participation in upcoming elections remains protected while the broader legal process unfolds.
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