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State ask for 20 years in army trial

    ABIDJAN

    State prosecutor Ange Kessy Kouame has called for 20-year prison terms each for two army generals on trial in a military court for threatening state security, state-owned meda reported on Monday.

    Generals Lansana Palenfo and Abdoulaye Coulibaly pleaded not guilty on Friday before the five-man tribunal. The charge against them was linked to earlier accusations that they tried to kill former military strongman General Robert Guei in his Abidjan home last year.

    One of the defence lawyers, Attabi Honoré, told the court that their clients were innocent and that the attack may have been faked by Guei, the state-owned daily, 'Fraternite Matin', reported on Tuesday. Defence witnesses told the court they were tortured to implicate the generals.

    Palenfo and Couliblay, leading members of Guei's ousted junta, are among over 20 soldiers being held for involvement in the failed coup on 17 September 2000.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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