Death of Ivory Coast union leader Basile Mahan Gahé

With great sadness the IUF has learned of the death on September 16 of the general secretary of Ivory Coast’s national trade union center Dignité, Basile Mahan Gahé. Dignité was founded in 1988 and led the fight for trade union independence and pluralism in Ivory Coast, for which the organization and its members often faced violent repression.

Abducted in April 2011, Gahé was imprisoned for 18 months, tortured and denied medical care before being released on December 22, 2012.

The inhumane treatment he faced during incarceration undoubtedly contributed to a significant deterioration in his overall health then and since. The IUF and other national and international trade union organizations campaigned for his release throughout his imprisonment.