The International Criminal Court has just taken a decision long awaited by supporters of former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Minister of Youth Charles Blé Goudé this Thursday 28 May 2020. Both are now free to move while awaiting their appeal.
The former President of Côte d’Ivoire is allowed to leave Belgium where he has been under house arrest by the ICC since January 2019 under conditions. Same decision for his former Minister of Youth Charles Blé Goudé. The International Criminal Court has relaxed the conditions for the release of the two Ivorian politicians They no longer have to hand over their passports to the criminal organization.However, any country they wish to visit must agree to receive them beforehand.
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court rejected Laurent Gbagbo’s request for a reconsideration of his decision granting him and Charles Blé Goudé a conditional release. However, the Appeals Chamber decided to review the conditions of release by relaxing restrictive measures but not unconditionally.
It should be recalled that it has been more than seven years since the two political figures Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé were detained in The Hague. They were acquitted at first instance of the heavy charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between 2010 and 2011 during the post-electoral violence. The ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bendsouda, appealed the acquittal. The post-election crisis caused some 3,000 deaths in just five months.
This decision comes at a time when voter registration continues in Côte d’Ivoire and presidential elections are scheduled for 31 October 2020.
