By Joe Bavier
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - The government of Ivory Coast on Tuesday rejected charges from Amnesty International that it was carrying out a wave of arbitrary arrests and abusing opposition supporters in the run-up to a presidential election.
Ivorians, whose last presidential vote in 2010 led to a civil war that killed over 3,000 people go to the polls on Oct. 25 in a contest that the incumbent, Alassane Ouattara, is heavily favoured to win.
Amnesty said on Monday around 60 opposition supporters had been arrested since mid-September and at least 30 were still being detained. It accused the authorities of "harassment manoeuvres and continual intimidation".
Government spokesman Bruno Kone rejected accusations that the authorities had used arrests to repress the opposition, and said legal demonstrations were permitted.
"When people break the law, and especially riot, injure and kill, the government is not simply going to stand there with its arms crossed. And those who were detained were in that category," he said.
Kone said he had received no reports of physical abuse of opposition members.
This month's election is intended to draw a line under the crisis years and cement a rapid post-war economic recovery in Ivory Coast, a major producer of coffee and cocoa.