02.12.11 - WEEKLY SUMMARY - GBAGBO AT ICC, BENSOUDA TO REPLACE OCAMPO

Arusha, December 2, 2011 (FH) - Former President of Côte d'Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo was on Wednesday transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands whereas Gambian Fatou Bensouda is set to become the new ICC prosecutor, when Luis Moreno Ocampo's term ends.

1 min 23Approximate reading time

ICC

Gbagbo transferred to ICC: On Wednesday night, former Côte d'Ivoire's President, Laurent Gbagbo was transferred to ICC where he will face charges of crimes against humanity namely murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and other inhuman acts allegedly committed in his country between December 16, 2010 and April 12, 2011. He has been indicted for his responsibility as indirect co-author of the crimes perpetrated by "the Ivorian Defence and Security Forces ("FDS"), reinforced by the pro-Gbagbo youth militia and mercenaries, in Abidjan. Pro-Gbagbo forces allegedly targeted civilians who they believed were supporters of the current Côte d'Ivoire's President Alassane Ouattara, and the attacks were often directed at specific ethnic or religious communities.

Gambian Fatou Bensouda to take over from Ocampo: Gambian Fatou Bensouda is set to become the new ICC Prosecutor, when Luis Moreno Ocampo's term ends in June 2012 after a nine-year mandate. The 50-year-old lawyer has been serving since 2004 as the deputy to Luis Moreno-Ocampo. She previously worked as a legal adviser at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Tanzania.

Kenya court issues arrest warrant to Sudanese President: A Kenyan court Monday issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Dafur, Western Sudan. According to the court's decision the arrest should be affected by the Attorney General and the Minister for Internal Security should he ever set foot in Kenya.

ICTR

Genocide-convict Bagaragaza released: Genocide-convict with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Michel Bagaragaza was on Thursday released out of jail in Sweden after having served two-third of an eight year sentence for complicity to commit genocide. This is the first time that the Tribunal has granted early release to one of its convicts. Bagaragaza was the former head of Rwandan Tea Authority.   

NI/ER/GF   

© Hirondelle News Agency