d’Ivoire, was charged with threatening national security while he was already serving a six-month prison sentence for public disorder. He remained in detention, awaiting trial on the additional charges at the end of the year. PRISON CONDITIONS Prisoners remained held under harsh conditions and overcrowding at the Maison d’Arrêt et de Correction, Abidjan’s main prison. In March, the prison authorities said that the prison, which had capacity for 1,500 inmates, held 3,694 people. Prisoners reported that they were forced to pay bribes of up to 20,000 CFA (US$32) to prisoners who controlled internal security to avoid being placed in filthy cells with floors covered in urine and water. Families were forced to pay bribes to visit their relatives. Prisoners responsible for internal security also administered corporal punishment on other inmates, resulting in at least three deaths in 2015. The authorities did not take measures to protect prisoners from these and other abuses. Health care remained inadequate. One prison guard and nine prisoners were killed in February during an exchange of fire when prisoners staged an uprising. CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY In July, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) undertook an environmental audit of the lasting impact of the 2006 dumping of over 540,000 litres of toxic waste in Abidjan. The waste was produced by the multinational oil trading company Trafigura. The results were expected in early 2017. The authorities reported that there were 15 deaths while more than 100,000 people sought medical attention after the dumping including for serious health issues like respiratory problems. The authorities had still not assessed the long-term risks to individuals of exposure to the chemicals in the waste and had not monitored victims’ health. Many victims had not received any compensation payments and compensation claims against the company continued. Amnesty International Report 2016/17 ABUSES BY ARMED GROUPS In March, armed men attacked three beachside hotels in Grand Bassam, killing 19 people including a child. The attack was claimed by al-Mourabitoune, an armed group based in northern Mali and affiliated to alQaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). More than 80 people were arrested in connection with the attack and, in August, two military officers were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment each after being convicted of disobedience and criminal association. CROATIA Republic of Croatia Head of state: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Head of government: Andrej Plenković (replaced Tihomir Orešković in October, who replaced Zoran Milanović in January) Croatia experienced a period of political instability triggered by a no-confidence vote in the newly appointed government. Reception conditions for asylum-seekers were generally adequate; but there was no coherent long-term social integration policy. Discrimination against ethnic minorities persisted. Freedom of the media was undermined. Heightened nationalist rhetoric and hate speech contributed to growing ethnic intolerance and insecurity. BACKGROUND A new government was formed in January, two months after general elections which failed to produce an outright winner. The volatile coalition collapsed in June, triggering a vote of no confidence in the government led by Tihomir Orešković, and the dissolution of the Parliament in July. Following elections in September, the centre-right HDZ party, that won 61 out of 151 seats, entered into a coalition with small centre-right parties and formed a new cabinet led by Andrej Plenković. 131