The former first lady of the Ivory Coast,
Simone Gbagbo, has gone on trial for her
alleged role in post-election violence in
2010.
The trial of the 65-year-old and 82 civilian
and military supporters of her husband,
former president Laurent Gbagbo, began
under heavy security on Friday and was
broadcast on radio.
"If she is found guilty, she will get 20 years
to life because we are talking about a crime
against state security," said prosecutor
Soungalo Coulibaly.
The post-election violence erupted in
Abidjan after Gbagbo refused to concede
power to his rival Alassane Ouattara, who
was declared the winner of the polls.
About 3,000 people died in the violence that
was widely viewed as avoidable had Gbagbo
stepped down.
He was eventually forced from power in 2011
by rebels and an international military force
led by France.
Ivory Coast had earlier refused a request to
hand over Simone Gbagbo to the
International Criminal Court in The Hague,
where her husband is being held, arguing she
should be tried in a domestic court.
Laurent Gbagbo and an associate, Charles
Ble Goude, are being held in the Netherlands
pending trial at the ICC on charges
including crimes against humanity.
Since she was arrested in 2011, the former
first lady has been under house arrest in
northern Ivory Coast. She was brought to
the commercial capital Abidjan this month
ahead of her trial.
0 comments: