International

Gbagbo’s Hague trial begins November 10

May 8, 2015 10:07 pm

The trial of ousted Ivorien president, Laurent Gbagbo, at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is scheduled to commence on November 10, 2015.

According to a statement released by the court, the trial will be conducted by Geoffrey Henderson, the presiding judge, alongside ICC judges Olga Carbuccia and Bertram Schmitt.

The chamber set the date for the opening of the trial after considering the prosecutor’s undertaking that the disclosure of evidence will be completed no later than end of June 2015.

It also noted that the defence will have more than four months between the date of full disclosure by the prosecution and the opening statements, and two additional months before the commencement of the presentation of evidence.

The chamber said it found out that this schedule would provide sufficient time for the defence to carry out all necessary preparations.

Gbagbo’s case was taken to the ICC on November 30, 2011 and he first appeared before the pre-trial chamber on December 5 2011.

On June 12 2014, the pre-trial chamber filed four charges of crimes against humanity (murder, rape, other inhumane acts or – in the alternative – attempted murder, and persecution) against Gbagbo and committed him for trial before a chamber.

Gbagbo’s refusal to acknowledge his loss to incumbent President Alassane Ouattara during the country’s presidential election of 2010 led to a political crisis and outbreak of violence in Ivory Coast.

Thousands of people lost their lives during the crisis.

He was arrested with Simone, his wife, on April 11 and the government requested the involvement of the ICC in the investigation of violence-related crimes.

On October 3, the judges of ICC authorised its prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to probe post-election war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by forces loyal to both Gbagbo and Ouattara.

With an arrest warrant issued on November 23 and made known to the public on November 29, he was imprisoned in Scheveningen, a suburb of the Hague, on 30 November.