8 close confidants of Cote d'Ivoire's ex-president freed temporarily

Eight close confidants of Cote d'Ivoire's ex-president Laurent Gbagbo who were arrested in connection with the post-election violence were freed temporarily on Wednesday after a hearing of their case at the Abidjan Court of Appeal. Out of the nine requests for temporary release examined by the Court of Appeal, eight were accepted and one was rejected, one of Gbagbo's lawyers Herve Gouamene said. The request by the national secretary in charge of elections for Gbagbo's Cote d'Ivoire Popular Front (FPI), Sokouri Bohui, was rejected and none of the party's senior officials was among those released temporarily. "We are disappointed because only nine requests have been examined and yet we have filed requests for 65 people," Gouamene told the press. Gbagbo, his wife and about 60 personalities who were close to the former regime were detained in various prisons in the West African country for committing economic crimes, murder and threatening state security during the post-election crisis that began in November last year. At least 3,000 people were killed after five months of political impasse and two weeks of war in the economic capital Abidjan. The release of the people who were detained has been presented by Gbagbo's supporters as a precondition for national reconciliation.