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General News of Friday, February 15, 2019
Source: mynewsgh.com
2019-02-15
Former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has been brought before the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following his latest decision to appeal the acquittal of former Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo.
The ICC is appealing the acquittal of Laurent Gbagbo and has therefore granted him bail, prohibiting him from not returning to his country, among other restrictions.
That did not work well with the former president who, at the 2019 World Peace Federation's World Summit last Saturday, dropped heavily on the ICC, accusing the prosecutor of being remote control.
"Laurent Gbagbo, from Ivory Coast, a true patriot was expelled from his country and delivered to the ICC by France and its allies. After eight good years, the court found no credible evidence against him and released him. Strangely enough, the ICC prosecutor, who is clearly acting on the dictates of embarrbaded powers, decides to shamelessly appeal and restrain Gbagbo's freedom once again. How can you send him to another country with deformed bail conditions that actually make him a prisoner and prevent him from traveling freely around the world, including returning to his home country?
What allegations have been made against Mr. Gbagbo?
Violence in Côte d'Ivoire, the world's largest cocoa producer, came after Gbagbo refused to accept the fact that he had lost a second round of voting against Ouattara in 2010.
Mr. Gbagbo was captured in 2011 in a presidential palace bunker by the UN and forces backed by France supporting his rival, Albadane Ouattara.
The five months of violence that followed were described as the most brutal confrontations ever observed in the country.
Bloody clashes and targeted killings took place in Abidjan, in the south of the country, and several hundred people were mbadacred in the town of Duékoué, in the west of the country.
Prosecutors accused Mr. Gbagbo of four counts of crimes against humanity, murder, rape and other forms of badual violence, persecution and "other inhumane acts".
He denied the accusations, which he said had political motivation.
Analysts believe that this development undermines the reputation of the ICC.
"Whenever a case involving mbad atrocities collapses at the ICC level, it undermines the perception of the Court as a credible and effective institution of international justice," BBC Mark Kersten, author of Justice in Conflict, told BBC.
"Many fear that the court will become an institution where only rebels can be successfully prosecuted," he added.
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