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ICC Indicts Former Ivory Coast First Lady

Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, wife of Laurent Gbagbo, attends a rally at the Culture Palace in Abidjan, January 15, 2011.

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VOA News

November 22, 2012

The International Criminal Court has unsealed an indictment against Simone Gbagbo, wife of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, for crimes against humanity.

The court made the indictment and arrest warrant for Mrs. Gbagbo public on Thursday. The charges against the former first lady include "murder, rape, other forms of sexual violence, other inhumane acts, and persecution."

Violence broke out in Ivory Coast in 2010 and carried over to 2011, following an election in which President Gbagbo refused to accept defeat.

Laurent Gbagbo is already in custody at the International Criminal Court, awaiting trial on similar charges.

Simone Gbagbo is currently in custody in Ivory Coast, where she is fighting charges that she helped to orchestrate the post-election violence.

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