Ivorians throng court as Laurent Gbagbo attends hearing

Chants of “Libérez Gbagbo, Libérez Africa, Libérez Kenya” (free Gbagbo, free Africa, free Kenya) on Wedneday filled the air outside the ICC court buildings as supporters of the former Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo protested against his prosecution.

With their outstanding orange and green outfits, which are the predominant colours of their flag, the Ivorians camped across the road from the Regulsweg that leads to the public entry to the court buildings with banners and played loud music.

SECURITY HIGH

Security at the court was on Wednesday heightened, and every person going in had to declare what the intention was. The Dutch police were at hand to maintain order but kept their distance.

The protesters, who claimed to have come from Paris, Brussels and within the Netherlands said they were prepared to stay outside the court until Mr Gbagbo was released. They carried food which they served themselves.

Mr Gbagbo was arrested in 2011 and charged with crimes against humanity. He allegedly bears individual criminal responsibility, as indirect co-perpetrator, for four counts of crimes against humanity of murder, rape and other sexual violence, persecution and other inhuman acts, allegedly committed in the context of post-electoral violence between December 16, 2010 and April 12, 2011.

“We have been coming here and will continue to do so until our president becomes free,” said Willy Bla, one of the protest leaders. They claimed the ICC was biased against Africans and urged all African nations to stand together to oppose the court. “This month we are going to Addis Ababa to pull out of the Rome Statute. Africa, it’s time we woke up,” said Mr Bla.

The protesters claimed Mr Gbagbo was the duly elected president of Ivory Coast and termed the current president Alassane Ouattara the criminal. “The person claiming to be the president is not the elected president. He killed many but we know Gbagbo did not kill. We know our president (Gbagbo) is innocent,” another protester Gnakabi Lazare said.

The hearing of Mr Gbagbo’s case was held on Wednesday at The Hague. The protests come just days to the extraordinary summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The summit was requested by Kenya and Mauritania to reflect on Africa’s relationship with the ICC.

TARGETING AFRICA

The summit will take place between October 11 and 12 and the outcome closely watched. African leaders have been having icy relations with the ICC, accusing the court of targeting the continent’s leaders.

All the eight cases currently before the ICC are from African nations — Kenya, Mali, DRC, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Libya and Uganda.

The Kenyan cases against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang are currently at the trial stage. MPs who have accompanied Mr Ruto to The Hague watched the protesters from a distance, apart from URP Organising Secretary George Ayugi who joined the protesters in chanting anti-ICC slogans.