Ivory Coast Dismisses ICC Arrest Warrant for Former First Lady

By Katie Bacharach

The BBC reported that Ivory Coast ministers decided to file a motion to dismiss the ICC’s arrest warrant for Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady. Mrs. Gbagbo is being prosecuted for crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and torture allegedly committed following the disputed presidential election in the Ivory Coast in 2010. The cabinet instead plans to bring Mrs. Gbagbo to trial by Ivorian courts. Her husband, former President Laurent Gbagbo, is already in The Hague awaiting trial at the ICC for charges of crimes against humanity. This announcement came shortly after the African Union announced it will hold a summit next month to discuss a mass withdrawal from the ICC in protest to the trial of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto.