Gbagbo wife lawyers walk out of trial
Police officers sit next to an empty dock on October 25, 2016 at the courtroom of Abidjan as the lawyers of Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo suspended their participation in her trial for crimes against humanity because the court refused to hear testimony from leading politicians. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- Gbagbo has been on trial since the end of May for alleged involvement in the shelling of Abobo, a northern suburb of Abidjan which was a stronghold of Alassane Ouattara, who beat her husband Laurent in the 2010 election.
- She is already serving a 20-year sentence for “endangering state security”.
- The court refused to hear testimony from leading politicians.
ABIDJAN
The lawyers of Cote d’Ivoire’s former first lady Simone Gbagbo have suspended their participation in her trial for crimes against humanity because the court refused to hear testimony from leading politicians.
Monday was supposed to be the first day of witnesses called by the defence, with Gbagbo’s lawyers calling figures including parliament speaker Guillaume Soro, former premier Jeannot Kouadio Ahoussou and former army chief Philippe Mangou.
“The process is biased, the court does not want a fair trial,” said Dohora Blede, one of the lawyers defending Gbagbo over post-election violence that left more than 3,000 dead in 2010-11.
“We are stunned — these people include some who have gone to the International Criminal Court thousands of miles away. We’re asking them simply to come here by car,” the defence lawyer said.
Gbagbo has been on trial since the end of May for alleged involvement in the shelling of Abobo, a northern suburb of Abidjan which was a stronghold of Alassane Ouattara, who beat her husband Laurent in the 2010 election.
She is also accused of participating in a “crisis cell” which coordinated pro-Gbagbo attacks by the armed forces and militias. She is already serving a 20-year sentence for “endangering state security”.
