Police Blamed in Ivory Coast Massacre of 60

A U.N. inquiry has found Ivory Coast’s paramilitary police responsible for the massacre of about 60 young men during turmoil in October that broke out as the president took office.

Eight officers are scheduled to go on trial in Abidjan today for their alleged involvement in the killings.

The bodies of about 60 young men were found in a field on the outskirts of Abidjan days after President Laurent Gbagbo was swept to power in a popular uprising after chaotic elections. Most had been shot in the head.

Followers of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara say the victims were members of his Rally of the Republicans party and that the killings were politically motivated.

In February, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan established a commission of inquiry to look into the events surrounding the elections.

In a 65-page report released Friday, the three-member commission wrote that the police officers bear responsibility for the massacre and that the military bears the same responsibility in the deaths of civilians during demonstrations in the days following the election.

The commission, led by U.N. Ambassador Colin Granderson of Trinidad and Tobago, concluded that members of the security forces, in particular the police, used excessive force and committed human rights violations during the demonstrations.

The commission, which spent two months in Ivory Coast, called on the government to increase efforts to prosecute authorities involved in wrongdoing and improve human rights training for security forces.

International rights groups have sharply criticized Ivorian authorities for the slowness of their investigation into the killings.