NAN-F-12
Activists
Abidjan, March 29, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Human rights activists decried a “flawed” trial Wednesday as the citizenry woke up to the realisation that former first lady Simone Gbagbo had been acquitted of crimes against humanity.
Simone Gbagbo was acquitted for crimes against humanity and war crimes she allegedly committed during the 2010 to 2011 post-election crises in the West African nation.
Her husband, then-president Laurent, is also on trial on the same charges by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Over 3,000 people were killed in the country after bloody unrest broke out when Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept the result of the 2010 election and make way for the winner, current President Alassane Ouattara.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) Simone Gbagbo’s trial, which lasted 10 months, was marred by “the poor quality of the investigation and weak evidence presented”.
HRW said the outcome of the widely criticised trial “reflects the many irregularities in the process against Simone Gbagbo).
“It leaves unanswered serious questions about her alleged role in brutal crimes committed,” HRW Associate International Justice Director Param-Preet Singh said.
During the trial, several sets of lawyers, as well as human rights groups representing victims, withdrew from the proceedings, saying the court, as well as the prosecution, had acted irregularly.
In May 2016, the country’s Supreme Court rejected Simone Gbagbo’s appeal against a 20-year prison sentence handed to her last year for undermining state security during post-election violence.
The former first lady has been serving her sentence in a prison in the economic capital, Abidjan, since March 2015. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Sadiya Hamza