The question of the acquittal of Laurent Gbagbo will be debated during a hearing, which will begin on October 1. 2018. This was decided by the single judge Cuno Tarfusser.
This is the new goal of former Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo’s defense lawyers: To obtain the acquittal of their client. They will have the opportunity to present the arguments that underpin this aim at a hearing.
The hearing will now start on October 1, 2018. This was decided by Cuno Tarfusser, the single judge of Trial Chamber I. He announced this decision on June 22, 2018. The hearing was previously scheduled to start on September 10.
According to the decision written in English, the judge said “that the hearing to be held in accordance with the Second Order shall start on Monday 1 October 2018 and extend as required.”
In addition to this announcment, the single judge agreed to a request from International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Bensouda wanted more time to prepare her response to the arguments of the defense. This view was shared by the legal representative of victims (LRV).
“The Prosecutor and the LRV have shown good cause for an extension of the time limit for their responses: it is indeed plausible that, by the time the Second Order was issued, arrangements in respect of the recess period had already been made and that little or no flexibility may exist in respect of such arrangements,” the judge explained.
The hearing that will begin on October 1 should extend over a period between two and four days. During this meeting, the parties will present their arguments either for or against an acquittal of Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé.
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Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé are charged with four counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and other inhumane acts, or – in the alternative – attempted murder and persecution. The accused allegedly committed these crimes during post-electoral violence in Côte d’Ivoire between December 16, 2010 and April 12, 2011.
This summary comes from Observateur Citoyen, which offers monitoring and commentary on the ICC’s proceedings arising from the post-election violence that occurred in Cote d’Ivoire in 2010-2011. It has been translated into English for use on International Justice Monitor.