Post date: Nov 22, 2012 9:0:40 PM
The Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo is charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (DECEMBER 4, 2010) (REUTERS) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the West African nation's post-election crisis last year.
The warrant, which was issued on February 29 but remained sealed until Thursday (November 22), alleges that she was "criminally responsible for murder, rape, other forms of sexual violence, other inhumane acts, and persecution".A copy of the warrant was seen by Reuters.
Former President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to accept defeat in a late 2010 election triggered the brief war, is already in The Hague awaiting trial on similar charges.
Violent street protests slipped into all-out combat between soldiers and militias loyal to Gbagbo and fighters supporting current President Alassane Ouattara, who received the backing of United Nations and French troops.
More than 3,000 people died in the conflict.
The warrant accuses Simone Gbagbo, who is currently in custody in Ivory Coast, of participating in the planning and orchestration of the violence.
"Simone Gbagbo was ideologically and professionally very close to her husband ... Although unelected, she behaved as the alter ego of her husband, exercising power and taking state decision," the warrant said.
"There are reasonable grounds to believe that the pro-Gbagbo forces who executed the common plan, did so in obeying in an almost automatic way orders received fromSimone Gbagbo," it read.
Ivory Coast is not party to the Rome Statue, the treaty which founded the court, but it granted the ICC jurisdiction for crimes committed during the post-election violence.
The government did not immediately say whether it planned to extradite Simone Gbagbo, who was arrested along with her husband in April 2011 as fighting came to an end and is currently being held under house arrest in the northwestern city of Odienne.
She is due to be tried in Ivory Coast on genocide charges.
Abidjan residents had mixed feelings about sending Simone Gbagbo to the Hague.
"Surely there are things to hold her accountable for, if they sent out an arrest warrant. Justice has to follow its course and we'll see what happens. Otherwise, I think it would have been better as we've said before, and as many Ivorians have said, to wipe everything out, and start again," said a football coach Guy Michel Koukou from Abidjan.
"For us it's a political move because if the first lady goes (to court) - normally warlords should go there - but what we think we are seeing is that they have decided to target theGbagbo camp. If there was a war, it's not only the Gbagbo's who fought it, when we talk about a war it's two sides. But unfortunately - and it is sad - that no one from the Ouattara camp has been charged," said Demesse Toussagnon.
The warrant accuses Simone Gbagbo, who is currently in custody in Ivory Coast, of participating in the planning and orchestration of the violence.
Some said the former first lady should get a better treatment under the ICC.
"I think that at the ICC she will complain less about the conditions of her detention and that her justice here is unbalanced. I personally think that it's preferable that she is judged by the ICC rather than here in Ivory Coast," teacher, Toure Sekou, said.
Rights groups said the warrant risks deepening the widespread perception of winner's justice as no forces loyal to the current government have been arrested despite evidence of crimes being committed on both sides.
Reconciliation efforts in the Ivory Coast have lagged as a result.
Authorities arrested around 100 pro-Gbagbo fighters and political figures last year, and have been accused of illegal detentions and abuse targeting his suspected supporters in recent months.
None of Ouattara's own supporters have yet been arrested for crimes during the post-election violence, though rights groups say there is evidence they too committed atrocities.
Luis Moreno Ocampo, the ICC's former prosecutor, said earlier this year he was extending investigations back to 2002, when a failed coup ignited Ivory Coast's decade-long crisis and would look into crimes committed by both camps.
Rights campaigner Human Rights Watch on Thursday welcomed the ICC's decision to indict Simone Gbagbo, but said it must be followed up with action against Ouattara's own supporters.
The ICC's prosecutor said more arrest warrants might come.