Ivorian First Lady Gets 20 Years In Jail

Ivorian First Lady Gets 20 Years In Jail

Simone Gbagbo, the wife of former President Laurent Gbagbo, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for her role in the violence that followed the 2010 presidential elections.

The First Lady, 65, was charged with undermining state security.

Her husband, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, is awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his role in the 2010/11 post poll chaos that left at least 3,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands others displaced.

Violence erupted after Mr. Gbagbo refused to accept defeat by Alassane Ouattara.

Ms. Gbagbo and her husband were arrested in 2011 after troops stormed a bunker where the pair had taken refuge in the city of Abidjan.

 

LIGHTER SENTENCE

In addition to undermining the state security, Ms. Gbagbo was also accused of disturbing public order and organising armed gangs.

The court "unanimously" condemned her to the jail term despite prosecutors having requested for a lighter sentence. This is according to a AFP report.

According to the BBC, her daughter, Marie Antoinette Singleton, termed the sentence as unjust.

"If we say that something wrong happened, it happened on both sides. Nobody looked into bringing all responsible parties to trial," said Singleton.

Mr. Gbagbo is facing four charges at the ICC including murder, rape and persecution.

The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Simone Gbagbo too, but this was dismissed by the Ivorian government.

 

Source: BBC, AFP

 

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories