A court in Côte d’Ivoire has handed 36-month prison terms to 26 opposition protesters arrested during an Oct. 11 demonstration against candidate exclusions from the upcoming presidential election.

“The first trials of those arrested during the Oct. 11 demonstrations have resulted in heavy sentences,” said Jean-Chrysostome Blessy of the PDCI-RDA, adding that hundreds of detainees are still awaiting hearings scheduled to continue on Oct. 22.

Trials Follow Mass Arrests

The Oct. 11 march was prohibited by authorities, who had announced restrictions on rallies in the run-up to the election; security forces detained at least 237 people that day, according to official statements.

Courts have since issued the first wave of three-year sentences, while other defendants remain in custody with proceedings set to resume on Oct. 22.

Disqualifications Fuel Tensions

Protesters rallied after opposition leader Tidjane Thiam was ruled ineligible earlier this year on nationality grounds, and former president Laurent Gbagbo was also barred from running.

Thiam had renounced French citizenship in a bid to qualify, but the courts later upheld his exclusion as the final electoral list was published ahead of the Oct. 25 poll.

Rights Concerns and Next Steps

Rights groups say authorities must stop stifling peaceful assembly and allow rallies ahead of voting, warning that heavy-handed tactics risk inflaming the climate further.

Additional trials are due in Abidjan from Oct. 22, while opposition parties weigh next steps as President Alassane Ouattara pursues a fourth term in an election historically marked by volatility.