International Criminal Court authorizes probe into Ivory Coast post-election violence

International Criminal Court authorizes probe into Ivory Coast post-election violence

2011-10-04 07:35:42 GMT+7 (ICT)

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (BNO NEWS) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday announced it has authorized its prosecutor to launch an investigation into the alleged abuses committed during post-election violence in Côte d'Ivoire (also known as Ivory Coast).

The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber III also said that the investigation, which is examining events from November 28 and later, would include "crimes that may be committed in the future in the context of this situation."

Pre-Trial Chamber III - which is composed of Judges Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi (presiding), Adrian Fulford and Elizabeth Odio Benito - also requested the Prosecutor to revert to the Chamber within one month with any additional information that is available to him on potentially relevant crimes committed between 2002 and 2010.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had previously requested authorization in June from the ICC to open an investigation after a preliminary examination led him to conclude that there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes within the ICC's jurisdiction were committed in the country since last year's elections.

The violence erupted when former president Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after he lost the United Nations-certified election to Alassane Ouattara, who was eventually sworn in after Mr. Gbagbo surrendered in April.

At least 3,000 people were killed, 72 others disappeared and 520 persons were subject to arbitrary arrest and detentions during the post-election violence, according to sources quoted by the prosecution. There are also over 100 reported cases of rape although the actual number is believed to be considerably higher.

"Our investigation should be part of national and international efforts to prevent future crimes in Côte d'Ivoire," ICC Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo said. "The recently-established Truth, Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission would be a central piece of such efforts."

He added: "National authorities could define other activities to help the victims, ensure peaceful coexistence and prevent future violence. Promoting justice and reconciliation in Côte d'Ivoire must be our common endeavor."

The ICC investigation is the seventh in Africa and the first in a State which is not a party to the Rome Statute, a treaty that set up the ICC. However, Côte d'Ivoire had accepted the ICC jurisdiction on April 18, 2003 and more recently on both December 14, 2010 and May 3 when the Presidency of Côte d'Ivoire reconfirmed the country's acceptance of the jurisdiction.

Other investigations in Africa for the ICC, which is based in the Dutch city of The Hague, include those in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Darfur region of western Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, Kenya and Libya.

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