Simone Gbagbo, former Ivory Coast First Lady, goes on trial for war crimes
Wed Jun 01, 2016 08:19:am Africa
3.7K By Buchi Obichie
Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady of Ivory Coast, went on trial on Tuesday, accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes for her alleged role in a civil war that followed a 2010 presidential election which left around 3,000 people dead.
The trial, which is the West African nation's first for crimes against humanity, is being held in a domestic court after the Government rejected her extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
It has already drawn criticism from Gbagbo's supporters, who claim it is politically motivated; as well as from rights groups, who accuse the prosecution of rushing the investigation.
Her husband, ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, is already before the ICC on charges linked to the brief conflict, which was sparked by his refusal to concede defeat to Alassane Ouattara in an election run-off.
Flanked by policemen, Simone Gbagbo, who was a key figure in her husband's regime, greeted several dozen cheering supporters gathered at the entrance of the court in the commercial capital Abidjan with waves and smiles.
The prosecution alleges she was part of a small group of party officials from Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) that planned violence against Ouattara's supporters to keep him out of power.
An indictment which was read in court stated that "The FPI put in place a crisis cell in January 2011 that met at the presidential residence and constituted the organ charged with planning and organizing the repression."
Simone Gbagbo did not immediately enter a plea on Tuesday. However, the indictment said she rejected the charges and denied the existence of a crisis cell at the presidency.
The trial, which is the West African nation's first for crimes against humanity, is being held in a domestic court after the Government rejected her extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
It has already drawn criticism from Gbagbo's supporters, who claim it is politically motivated; as well as from rights groups, who accuse the prosecution of rushing the investigation.
Her husband, ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, is already before the ICC on charges linked to the brief conflict, which was sparked by his refusal to concede defeat to Alassane Ouattara in an election run-off.
Flanked by policemen, Simone Gbagbo, who was a key figure in her husband's regime, greeted several dozen cheering supporters gathered at the entrance of the court in the commercial capital Abidjan with waves and smiles.
The prosecution alleges she was part of a small group of party officials from Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) that planned violence against Ouattara's supporters to keep him out of power.
An indictment which was read in court stated that "The FPI put in place a crisis cell in January 2011 that met at the presidential residence and constituted the organ charged with planning and organizing the repression."
Simone Gbagbo did not immediately enter a plea on Tuesday. However, the indictment said she rejected the charges and denied the existence of a crisis cell at the presidency.
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