Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC Commits Former President of Côte d’Ivoire, to Trial (June 12, 2014) [1]
On June 12, 2014, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court confirmed [3], by majority, the charges against Laurent Gbagbo, the former President of Côte d’Ivoire. According to the press release [4], Gbagbo will face four charges of crimes against humanity, namely murder, rape, persecution, other inhumane acts or—in the alternative—attempted murder. The crimes are alleged to have been committed in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire “between 16 and 19 December 2010 during and after a pro-Ouattara march . . . on 3 March 2011 at a women’s demonstration in Abobo, on 17 March 2011 by shelling a densely populated area in Abobo, and on or around 12 April 2011 in Yopougon.” Judge Christine Van den Wyngaert dissented [5], reasoning that the “evidence is still insufficient.”