l'alternance démocratique” (IDC-FROCAD) claimed that 121 political prisoners remained in detention in Brazzaville’s main prison. On 9 November, the authorities denied authorization for a sit-in organized by the youth movement “Ras-le-Bol” in Brazzaville. IDC-FROCAD reported that protests had been banned on several occasions, generally on the grounds that they would risk disturbing public order, and that documents banning the protests made reference to the April postelectoral violence in Brazzaville. kidnapped by members of the presidential security forces in the Sadelmy neighbourhood of Brazzaville. He said that his hands and feet were handcuffed, and that he was subjected to electric shocks and burned on several occasions with plastic bags on his back and his hands. He was also beaten with wooden sticks and a belt, and spent nine days in a container. He was released on 13 October and dumped near a hospital mortuary in Brazzaville. No investigation was initiated into his allegations. EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL OR INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS Government security forces conducted air strikes on residential areas in the southeastern department of Pool on 5 April. Helicopters dropped at least 30 bombs on residential areas, including on a school in the town of Vindza when targeting the former residence of Pastor Frederic Ntumi, leader of the “Ninjas” armed group. Officials from Pool reported that up to 5,000 people had been displaced. The air strikes followed an outbreak of violence in Brazzaville following the endorsement on 4 April by the Constitutional Court of the result of the presidential elections, in which gunfire broke out in the streets, young people raised barricades in the southern neighbourhood of Makélékélé, a local mayor’s office and two police stations were set ablaze and armed men attacked an army barracks. The government attributed the violence to the “Ninjas”. On 29 April, a joint mission composed of police, journalists and civil society organizations to assess the security situation in Pool and investigate the bombardments was conducted. It had yet to produce an official report at the end of the year. Further air strikes were carried out in Pool in September; information on the incidents was limited due to the extreme difficulty in accessing the area, including because of restrictions set by the government. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT On 29 September, Augustin Kala Kala, deputy national coordinator of CADD, was Amnesty International Report 2016/17 In September, a draft law regulating civil society organizations was adopted by the Senate and was awaiting promulgation by the President. Civil society organizations had complained that the law was developed without meaningful consultation, and that it limited their freedom of association through measures that included criminalizing activities perceived to threaten institutional stability, preventing religious organizations from working on political questions, and requiring approval by the authorities to carry out activities. CÔTE D’IVOIRE Republic of Côte d’Ivoire Head of state: Alassane Dramane Ouattara Head of government: Daniel Kablan Duncan The rights to freedom of expression, of association and of peaceful assembly were restricted; scores of opposition members were arrested. Dozens of detainees still awaited trial in connection with postelectoral violence in 2010 and 2011; concerns remained about selective accountability for crimes committed during that period. The trial of Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé opened at the ICC. Simone Gbagbo was not transferred to the ICC despite an outstanding arrest warrant; her trial before a national court began. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 129