Investigations against pro-Ouattara camp to begin mid-2015, says ICC chief prosecutor
- 9 years ago
The ICC's Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has had a few setbacks recently. The decision to drop the charges against Kenyan President Uhurru Kenyatta was seen as a major blow to the court’s credibility. Moreover, some African leaders have been very vocal about their distrust of the ICC, deeming it racist. In an interview with FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman, Fatou Bensouda defends the International Criminal Court against these accusations and speaks about the court's ongoing investigations.
Simone Gbagbo has been sentenced to 20 years in jail by an Ivorian court in March. Nonetheless, the Côte d’Ivoire’s former First Lady is still wanted by the ICC which charged her with four counts of crimes against humanity in relation to the deadly violence that followed Côte d'Ivoire's 2010 presidential election. “My office has insisted that the case is still admissible before the ICC and that she should be handed over to the court”, says Fatou Bensouda. The Ivory Coast government has appealed this decision and an appeals chamber is set to rule on whether Abidjan will indeed have to transfer the former First Lady.
The Court has also been accused of showing leniency towards President Ouattara’s side but ICC chief prosecutor Bensouda is still determined to investigate crimes committed by his supporters during the chaos following the disputed 2010 elections. “My office has been very clear that all parties to the conflict, all sides to the conflict will not be spared”, she says. “We couldn’t start both sides at the same time”, she explains, but “hopefully, in the middle of this year, we would start the invest... Go on reading on our web site.
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Simone Gbagbo has been sentenced to 20 years in jail by an Ivorian court in March. Nonetheless, the Côte d’Ivoire’s former First Lady is still wanted by the ICC which charged her with four counts of crimes against humanity in relation to the deadly violence that followed Côte d'Ivoire's 2010 presidential election. “My office has insisted that the case is still admissible before the ICC and that she should be handed over to the court”, says Fatou Bensouda. The Ivory Coast government has appealed this decision and an appeals chamber is set to rule on whether Abidjan will indeed have to transfer the former First Lady.
The Court has also been accused of showing leniency towards President Ouattara’s side but ICC chief prosecutor Bensouda is still determined to investigate crimes committed by his supporters during the chaos following the disputed 2010 elections. “My office has been very clear that all parties to the conflict, all sides to the conflict will not be spared”, she says. “We couldn’t start both sides at the same time”, she explains, but “hopefully, in the middle of this year, we would start the invest... Go on reading on our web site.
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