The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has rejected all claims filed by former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo against the government of Ivory Coast, in which he alleged violations of his political rights after being barred from running in the upcoming 2025 presidential elections.
Gbagbo, who ruled Ivory Coast from 2000 until his ouster in 2011, submitted the complaint in September 2020, arguing that the Ivorian authorities had unlawfully denied him the right to participate in the country’s political life. However, the court ruled that there was no breach of international human rights conventions.
The dispute stems from a 2018 Ivorian court conviction in absentia, which sentenced Gbagbo to 20 years in prison and imposed a 10-year ban on civil rights, over his alleged role in the looting of a regional central bank branch during the post-election crisis in 2011.
Although Gbagbo was acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2021 of separate charges related to crimes against humanity, Ivorian electoral authorities have maintained that the 2018 domestic conviction disqualifies him from standing in the 2025 election.
The African court’s ruling is seen as a significant setback for the 79-year-old political figure, who had hoped to return to the national stage after years of legal battles. Gbagbo’s supporters argue that the conviction is politically motivated, while the government insists it is enforcing the rule of law.
The decision is likely to further shape the political landscape ahead of the presidential vote, in a country still grappling with the legacy of its post-election conflicts and fragile democratic institutions.
