The International Criminal Court finally freed former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo on Friday after his shock acquittal last month of crimes against humanity. Gbagbo’s lawyers had argued that he should be released without any conditions and free to return to Ivory Coast. They also ordered the immediate release of Gbagbo and Ble Goude but prosecutors successfully applied to have Gbagbo kept in detention. The Gbagbo acquittal was a severe blow for ICC prosecutors after similar failures with Bemba last year and Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta in 2014. ICC prosecutors had also cited the case of Simone Gbagbo as an example of why he is a flight risk.

Source: Punch February 01, 2019 16:52 UTC