ICC asked not to release former Ivory Coast president while case is on appeal News
©Wikimedia (Stefan Meisel)
ICC asked not to release former Ivory Coast president while case is on appeal

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday asked the court not to release former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and political leader Charles Ble Goude pending appeal of their acquittal earlier this week.

Gbagbo was charged with four counts of crimes against humanity alleging a plan to attack supporters of current President Allasane Ouattara following the contentious 2010 president election. After Gbagbo lost, he refused to cede power and challenged the election result. The parties were accused of ordering attacks and threats against Outattara’s supporters sparking violence that killed over 3,000 people.

Gbagbo was arrested by ICC in 2011 and Ble Goude surrendered in 2014. The trial that started in 2016 ultimately decided that the prosecution failed to prove its case and acquitted the parties.

The prosecution immediately filed an appeal and request to suspend the effects of immediate release claiming that the two political leaders were unlikely to return to court if the acquittal is overturned alleging ties to countries that were unlikely to cooperate with the court. In response, the defense filed a response arguing that the claims outlined in the appeal were unsubstantiated and without merit. The parties are now waiting on a decision from the court as to the appeal.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.