URGENT ACTION

UNIONIST SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN PRISON Ghislain Duggary Assy is the Communications Secretary of the Movement of Teachers for the Dignity Dynamic union. He was arrested on the night of 2 to 3 April by hooded men at his home after a coalition of teachers’ unions called for a strike on 3 and 4 April, demanding, among other things, the upgrading of quarterly bonuses. He was questioned the same night at the police headquarters in the absence of a lawyer. On 4 April, Ghislain Duggary Assy was charged with organizing the collective action of civil servants outside the prescribed legal framework and “obstructing the operation of the public service,” and he was sentenced to two years imprisonment on 8 April. He must be immediately and unconditionally released.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Mr Jean Sansan Kambilé
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Plateau immeuble Symphonie, cité administrative
 tour B 16e et 17e étage
BP V 107 Abidjan - Côte d’Ivoire
Email: minjusticedroitdelhomme@gmail.com
X: @minjustice_dh

Dear Minister,

I am writing this letter to urge the Ivoirian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release arbitrarily detained unionist, Ghislain Duggary Assy.

Ghislain Duggary Assy is the Communications Secretary of the Movement of Teachers for the Dignity Dynamic union. He was arrested on the night of 2 to 3 April by hooded men at his home, just before the coalition of teachers’ unions were due to strike on 3 and 4 April. He was questioned the same night at the police headquarters, in the absence of a lawyer. Once transferred to the public prosecutor’s office on 4 April, he was given access to a lawyer and placed under custody by the public prosecutor. 

On 8 April, Ghislain Duggary Assy was sentenced to two years imprisonment for “coalition of public officials” and “obstructing the operation of the public service’. An appeal was filed by his lawyer the day after the conviction; the hearing date remains pending. He is currently detained at Abidjan Central Prison.

Ghislain Duggary Assy’s peaceful action to call for strike to demand, among others, the upgrading of quarterly bonuses for teachers, is not a crime. Amnesty International is deeply concerned that his arrest and detention is based solely on the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association. His conviction and a dozen of arrests following the strike notice sent to the Minister of Education on 21 March 2025 constitute a flagrant violation of workers’ human  rights, in particular the rights to freedom of expression, strike and  association, guaranteed by the Ivorian Constitution and the human rights and labour treaties including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which  Côte d’Ivoire is a state party.

I therefore call upon you to ensure that Ghislain Duggary Assy’s conviction and sentencing is quashed, and that he is immediately and unconditionally released, as he is being detained solely for his peaceful human rights activism.

Yours sincerely,
Additional information

On 21 March 2025, in compliance with legal procedure, a notice was sent to the Minister of Education by two inter-union organizations, calling for a strike action in primary and secondary schools in Côte d’Ivoire to demand, among other things, the upgrading of quarterly bonuses for teachers.
The unions, who previously protested in October 2024, say negotiations with authorities have failed to address their concerns. The government of Côte d'Ivoire committed to establishing a committee to address the grievances. However, union members have indicated that this committee has not convened since its formation.
In a statement issued on 5 April, the Ministry of the Public Administration called the strike illegal and threatened to punish the striking teachers. On 8 April, a dozen members of the striking inter-union board were arrested, then released a few hours later.

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: French
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 24 October 2025
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: Ghislain Duggary Assy (he/his)

Additional TARGETS

Her Excellency Mrs Sara Affoue Amani
Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary  
Embassy of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire   
138-140, Buckingham Palace Rd, SW1W 9SA. 
Tel 020 7235 6991   
Fax 020 7259 5320   
E-mail: secretariat.royaumeuni@diplomatie.gouv.ci
TELEX 23906 Ivory Coast    
Monday-Friday 09.30-13.00 & 14.00-17.00   
Salutation: Your Excellency