Soumaila Bredoumy, spokesman for Ivory Coast’s main opposition party, was released Wednesday under judicial supervision, his lawyer said, ending months of detention in Abidjan.
He had been held on accusations ranging from terrorism to conspiracy, charges his defence team firmly rejects as politically motivated and legally unfounded.
Despite his imprisonment, Bredoumy was re-elected to parliament last month as one of about 30 candidates from the Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast.
The legislative polls were dominated by the ruling party, though opposition figures retained pockets of influence amid an atmosphere shaped by tension and restraint.
Bredoumy had spent several months abroad last year before returning home, only to be arrested days later under special procedures governing lawmakers.
Prosecutors filed 18 charges, including terrorist acts, assassination plots, attacks on state authority, public disorder and interference with electoral operations.
Additional accusations include organising an armed gang, wilful destruction of property, theft and condoning murder, according to statements from his lawyers.
The opposition spokesman was among figures who criticised President Alassane Ouattara’s controversial bid for a fourth presidential term and urged public protests.
Ouattara was re-elected in October with nearly 90 percent of the vote in an election that largely unfolded without widespread violence.
However, eleven people were killed during banned demonstrations or intercommunal clashes on election day, when dozens of protesters were arrested and convicted.
Following Bredoumy’s arrest, the PDCI denounced what it described as an illegal process and a strategy of intimidation against dissenting political voices.
Authorities have repeatedly denied political motives, insisting all arrests followed standard investigative procedures applied regardless of party affiliation.
Bredoumy’s release places him under continued judicial oversight, leaving his legal fate unresolved as Ivory Coast navigates a fragile political calm.
