Judiciary
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of former Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo, a day after acquitting him of charges of crimes against humanity.
Gbagbo walked free after seven years in prison. The 73-year-old former politician was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The court, based in The Hague, rejected a demand by the prosecution to keep Gbagbo imprisoned pending a possible appeal of the verdict.
Calling the prosecution case “exceptionally weak”, the judges said Gbagbo had given assurances he would return to the Hague-based court if ordered to do so.
Prosecutors said they would appeal the decision and that there could be a retrial, but the panel of judges said the defendants could no longer be held in custody following their acquittal.
Presiding Judge Cuno Tarfusser said two out of three judges believed the case against Gbagbo and his co-defendant to be so weak that it was unlikely their acquittals would be overturned on appeal.
The two men will be released after “logistical and diplomatic arrangements” have been made, Tarfusser added. Discussions were continuing with court member states.
Gbagbo had been charged with human rights violations committed after the West African nation’s disputed 2010 presidential election, which saw 3,000 people killed and about half a million others displaced.
Gbagbo, who said the charges against him had been politically-motivated, has been defending himself before the ICC since 2016.
He was the first former head of state to have been tried by the ICC.
Gbagbo’s co-defendant, former youth minister Charles Ble Goude, 47, was also acquitted of all charges on Tuesday. (dpa/NAN)
– Jan. 16, 2019 @ 06:02 GMT |
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