Deutsche Welle, 22 November 2012
The
International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for
Ivory Coast's former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, on charges of crimes against
humanity. It is the first time the court has indicted a woman.
The arrest
warrant issued by the ICC alleges that Simone Gbagbo was "criminally
responsible for murder, rape, other forms of sexual violence, other inhumane
acts, and persecution" during Ivory Coast's post-election conflict last
year.
The warrant
was issued on February 29, but remained sealed until Thursday.
Simone Gbagbo's
husband, former President Laurent Gbagbo, is already in The Hague awaiting
trial on similar charges. His refusal to accept defeat in an election in late
2010 triggered the conflict between his supporters and backers of current
President Alassane Ouattara.
More than
3,000 people died in the fighting.
'Alter ego'
The ICC
warrant accuses Simone Gbagbo of helping plan and orchestrate the violence.
"Simone
Gbagbo was ideologically and professionally very close to her husband ...
although unelected, she behaved as the alter ego of her husband, exercising
power and taking state decisions," the warrant said.
Gbagbo and
her husband were captured in their compound in April 2011. She is being held
under house arrest in the northwestern city of Odienne.
The Cameroon
Tribune says she is also charged in her home country with genocide, blood
crimes, threat to state security and economic crimes.
The Ivorian
government did not immediately say whether it would extradite Simone Gbagbo.
Rights
campaigner Human Rights Watch on Thursday welcomed the ICC's decision to indict
Gbagbo, but called for action to be taken against Ouattara's supporters as
well, who are also alleged to have committed atrocities.
The ICC's
prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said her office was continuing its investigation
into crimes allegedly committed by both sides and that more arrest warrants
could follow.
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