The former president of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Laurent Gbagbo, is allowed to stay in Belgium for the time being after being released by the International Criminal Court (ICC). A request from the court was approved, the Belgian Foreign Ministry announced today.
Gbagbo was due to the violence in his country after the 2010 presidential election in The Hague in court, but was acquitted on January 15 in the first instance. Yesterday, the Tribunal ordered his release on the condition that the 73-year-old holds the case for appeal in a nearby country.
Unrest after presidential election
The court turned to Belgium because Gbagbo had family ties there, the Foreign Ministry said. Belgium supported the proceedings before the Tribunal and therefore reacted positively.
After the presidential election of 2010, Gbagbo had not recognized his defeat. The following wave of violence killed around 3,000 people. His trial in The Hague has been in progress since 2016. In the court’s view, the prosecution’s evidence for crimes against humanity was insufficient for conviction. Gbagbo has been detained since 2011.
