Gbagbo trial will ‘uncover’ truth, says ICC prosecutor

By Naharnet press office over 8 years

War crimes prosecutors pledged on Wednesday to reveal the truth about former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo’s role in post-election violence five years ago, warning people not to be misled by “lies” spread on social media.

“The purpose of the trial is to discover the truth through a purely legal process,” said Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

“Our case is based on the law… and on the evidence that our investigators have collected,” she insisted, adding that the International Criminal Court was handling the case “with all fairness and impartiality.”

Gbagbo and his close ally Charles Ble Goude will go on trial on Thursday on four counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and persecution stemming from the political upheaval in the West African country in 2010-2011.

But the case has been marked by accusations from Gbagbo’s supporters that prosecutors were basing their case on a narrative provided by his bitter rival Alassane Ouattara, the current president.

The highly anticipated hearing is the culmination of a crisis that erupted when Gbagbo refused to step down after losing the November 2010 elections to Ouattara.

The political stalemate sparked an international crisis, with the European Union, the United States and former colonial power France declaring Ouattara the winner.

Weeks of tensions descended into a bloody five-month stalemate, with Gbagbo holed up in the fortress-like presidential palace until he was finally arrested by Ouattara’s forces, backed by the UN and French forces.

Bensouda warned reporters at a news conference at the ICC headquarters in The Hague that “unfortunately, some speculations are already circulating” in Ivory Coast and on social media.

She stressed that “none of the prosecution witnesses withdrew” from the trial and said she was ready to continue with the case.