Cote d'Ivoire: Former First Lady to be Tried in Absentia

An Ivory Coast court has ruled that former first lady Simone Gbagbo will be tried in absentia for crimes against humanity after she and her defense team refused to appear. Her husband, Laurent Gbagbo, is being tried at the Hague, but Ivory Coast refused to transfer his wife. Now amid uncertainty over the future of the ICC in Africa, her trial may point to some of

the challenges national courts face in dealing with these cases.

As the judge announced his decision Wednesday not to force former first lady Simone Gbagbo to appear in court to face charges of crimes against humanity, a man in the audience shook his head in disbelief and sighed. A few meters from him, the defense dock stood empty.

The former first lady had previously said she wanted to be tried at home to face her compatriots.

Rodrigue Dadjé, one of her lawyers, said the decision to go on without her discredits the court.

Dadjé said “if Simone Gbagbo and her defense team don’t participate in this trial, it is not credible anymore.”

But that’s exactly what they want, said general prosecutor Aly Yeo. He said everybody knows the boycott is “a move to discredit the trial.”

Gbagbo's husband, former president Laurent Gbagbo, refused to concede defeat in 2010 elections and step down. The ensuing conflict killed at least 3000 civilians.

Simone Gbagbo is accused of helping to orchestrate killings and attacks against supporters of her husband’s opponent. She was already sentenced to 20 years in prison in a separate trial last year for undermining state security and organizing armed gangs. She has maintained her innocence.

Laurent Gbagbo now awaits trial at the Hague. But Ivory Coast refused to honor an ICC arrest warrant for his wife. Current president Alassane Ouattara has continued to voice support for the International Criminal Court, even as three African nations have announced they will withdraw. But Ouattara has also insisted that national courts should be able to deal with high profile crimes.

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