Former Ivorian President Gbagbo released in Belgium after acquittal



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Mr. Gbagbo was the first former head of state to appear before the ICC

Mr. Gbagbo was the first former head of state to appear before the ICC

The former Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, was released after his acquittal last month by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

A spokeswoman for the ICC said that Mr Gbagbo was now on parole in Belgium, pending a possible appeal.


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The former leader has been indicted for crimes against humanity following the disputed 2010 elections, which left 3,000 dead and 500,000 displaced.

He was the first former head of state to be tried before the ICC.

Belgium agreed last week to welcome the former president after the charges were dropped against him.

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The violence in Côte d 'Ivoire, the world's largest cocoa producer, took place after Gbagbo had refused to accept the fact that he had lost a second round of elections in favor. of his rival Albadane Ouattara.

The UN and the forces backed by France finally captured Mr. Gbagbo in a presidential palace bunker in 2011.

Prosecutors said he had clung to power "by all means" and had charged him with four counts of crimes against humanity, murder, rape and theft. 39; other forms of badual violence, persecution and "inhumane acts".

The former president denied the accusations, which he said were politically motivated.

The ICC judges decided last month that he had no business to answer and ordered his immediate release.


The court records show that the judges thought there was "no sufficient evidence" to convict Mr. Gbagbo of crimes against humanity.

Some experts believe that this decision could damage the reputation of the ICC.

But others say that such verdicts demonstrate the independence of the ICC when some leaders who fear its scope attempt to describe it as a form of neo-colonialism.

Credit: The BBC

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